Getting Over Our Troubles
by KT Maiden
Summary: Sarah Holly gets a job as Master Hand's Personal Assistant, and she moves in with the Smashers. A terrible accident uncovers a frightening plot. Sarah moves on her own to solve the mystery, and finds something terrifying. {COMPLETE}
1. Moving in

**Disclaimer: I don't own SSBM, or any of the characters from it. Nintendo does. I do, however, own Marth.  
  
Marth: um... no, you don't.  
  
Me: What?! Of course I do!  
  
Roy & Link: No, you don't.  
  
Me: Oh, alright... I don't even own Marth... wah!  
  
Marth: That's alright, you still own the story!  
  
Me: Oh! Yeah, that's right! Thanks for cheering me up! hugs Marth  
  
Marth: Kuroi Tenshi – Dark Angel likes reviews, so give her some!  
  
Some notes on the story: I have decided to make Pichu a female character in this story. Also, all pokemon can talk. That's all for now.**

**Getting Over Our Troubles**

Sarah Holly wiped the sweat from her forehead before it ran into her eyes. She watched as her opponent tossed the ball into the air and served it to her. She let the ball bounce once before hitting it back over the net. Her opponent, not quite ready, swung and missed, giving Sarah the win she needed. The bell rang. Sarah gave her score to the teacher and went to gather her things. How she hated summer school P.E.

"Sarah!" someone called behind her. She turned around to see her two best friends coming towards her. She smiled at them and turned back to her things.  
"Sarah! I can't believe it! Only one week left of summer school!" said Maggie.  
"And don't you start work today, Sarah?" asked Heather.

Sarah turned around and started walking towards the doors. "Yes. I can't wait to start."  
"Will you tell us where you're working now?" Maggie begged. Heather nodded her head.  
Laughing, Sarah complied. "Sure, why not? You'll never believe it anyway."

"Just tell us already!" the two girls cried.  
Sarah became serious. "My new job is as Personal Assistant to Master Hand at Smash Mansion and Stadium. I even get to stay there in the dorms with the Smashers!"  
Sarah's friends gaped at her as they stepped onto the city bus. "No way! Really? Does this mean that we, as your friends, get free tickets to Smash Battles?" said Maggie.  
"And you'll get to know all the Smashers! That's so cool!" gushed Heather. Sarah just smiled and tried to calm the fluttery, nervous feeling in her stomach. At the same time as she was looking forward to starting her new job, she was scared that none of the Smashers would want to be friends with someone like her.

Her friends got off before her, both of them wishing her luck and making sure she realized how jealous they were of her. She was left to go to Smash Mansion alone.

The bus let her off along with a group of people going to see a Smash Battle. Sarah could see the long line of spectators standing outside the Stadium, waiting to go in. The group from the bus turned toward the line, grumbling a little at the size of the crowd. Sarah looked around at the grounds of her new home for a few moments longer before moving on down the path to Smash Mansion.

Smash Mansion. It was a huge, four storey building, with a tower at each of the four corners and another one in the middle. The huge front door and the stone steps leading up to it gave it a definite castle feel. This was where the Smashers and Master Hand lived, and now it was where she lived. Taking a deep breath to try and calm her nerves, Sarah picked up the bags she had brought with her to summer school and started up the steps.

As she stood in the foyer looking around, a man appeared from a hallway off to the side.  
"I thought I heard the door open. You must be Sarah," the man said.  
Sarah turned to look at the man, dropping one of her bags and extending her hand politely. "Yes, that's me. Are you Master Hand?" She couldn't help flinching a little when the man shook her hand. She always did that. If the man noticed it, he didn't say anything.

"I am Master Hand. I know, I know, I'm not really a hand. Everyone always mentions that." He smiled kindly, and Sarah smiled back. "I know you've just come from summer school, so I suppose you'd like to get a shower before anything else."

"Yes, please." Sarah said.  
Master Hand indicated for her to follow him up the main hallway, and resumed talking. "This way leads to the common room, dining hall, and the dormitories. I'll assign someone to be your guide for the first few days."

He led her past a few rooms, each one having two or three people in them, and then up a set of stairs. The stairs divided and went separate ways near the middle, and he took her up the left-hand stairs to the girls' dormitory. Sarah later found out that the right-hand stairs led to the boys' dormitory.

Master Hand opened a room and waved her in. "There are few enough female Smashers that you can have your own room. This will be it. The showers and bathroom are over there. When you're finished, come downstairs to the common room, you remember which one that is. Your guide will be waiting for you there."

"Thank you very much," said Sarah. Master Hand nodded and left. Sarah decided to unpack her things first so she could get a feel for her room. It was nicely furnished with a four poster bed, which was covered with an emerald comforter, and a dresser. A large trunk sat at the foot of the bed. She had a deep window seat looking out over the grounds in back of the mansion. Looking out now, she could see a few Smashers out by a large fountain. A little further away, there was a more wooded portion of the grounds. Sarah turned around and took another deep breath. At least, if nothing else turned out right, she knew the place she had to sleep made her feel comfortable. She hoped the rest of the mansion, and its inhabitants, did the same.

**Well, there you go. The first chapter. I know, I didn't bring any Smashers into it yet, but hang in there, they'll be there in the next chapter, I promise! In the mean time, please tell me what you thought about it.**


	2. Seeing New Places and Meeting New Faces

**Disclaimer: I don't own SSBM, or any of its characters. Not even Marth. Just Sarah Holly. She IS mine.  
  
Marth: Good girl.  
  
Me: Okay Roy, give 'em the stuff.  
  
Roy: Right. Kuroi Tenshi – Dark Angel loooooooves reviews, even if they're flames. So, read the story, and review with that handy little button at the bottom!  
  
Me: Thanks, Roy.  
  
Roy: You're welcome.  
  
Link: On with the story!**

**Getting Over Our Troubles – Seeing New Places and Meeting New Faces**

Sarah Holly walked slowly down the stairs of the girls' dormitory, brushing her short brown hair out of her muddy brown eyes. She headed for the common room, anxious to meet her guide. At least the hallway was empty, leaving her in relative peace.

The common room was a spacious room, or was once, before the Smashers had crammed in so much stuff. It was a large room, stuffed with a dozen armchairs, three couches, and a loveseat over by one of the windows. A large fireplace, swept clean and unused during the spring and summer, covered the lower half of the far wall. The armchairs were arranged primarily around the long oval coffee table in front of the fireplace. Seated in one of those armchairs was a girl with long blond hair. Besides her, the room was empty of people.

Sarah moved a bit closer to the girl and noticed the book lying on her lap. The girl's head was bent over the book, and her golden hair spilled around her face, concealing it. Not wanting to startle her, Sarah cleared her throat as she moved around in front of her.

The girl looked up quickly. "Oh! Hello."  
"I'm sorry if I startled you. I was trying not to," Sarah quickly apologized.  
The girl shook her head, smiling. "You didn't, but even if you had, it would have been alright. You must be Sarah."  
Sarah smiled. The girl seemed nice and very friendly. She nodded in answer to her question.

"My name is Zelda. For the record, I'm the princess of Hyrule, but don't ever refer to me as 'princess'. I hate it." Zelda said, flicking her hair behind her pointed ears. "Master Hand said that I'm supposed to be your guide for your first few days here. No wonder, since this place is so huge!"

Sarah laughed. She definitely liked Zelda. Zelda took her out of the common room and back up the hallway she had just come down. She pointed out rooms as they went.

"Most of these are just nothing rooms, just taking up space, you know? This one, though," Zelda stopped and pointed into the large room on their left. "This one is the dining hall. Some people think it's the most important room of all, which is why it's located so close to the dorms."  
"I see," said Sarah.

Zelda led her down a few more corridors, pointing out rooms such as the library, greenhouse, ballroom, and a few others.

"This one here leads to the Stadium. You'll probably be dealing with this area a lot during work. I think part of your job is to put up items for our battles, so," Zelda said, shrugging. She pointed out the Item Closet, a place none of the Smashers were allowed to get into. She told her how to work the teleporter so she could get to the stage she needed to. She showed her the three training areas.

Sarah wished she had a pad of paper with her to take notes. She was sure that she would forget it all by tomorrow. She suppressed a sigh as Zelda took her back to the dining hall for lunch.

Zelda and Sarah chatted, making friends with one another as they walked. Sarah heard a little about Hyrule. Zelda heard a little about summer school. They were laughing together when another girl turned the corner and almost ran into them.

"Oh, Peach! Are you alright?" Zelda asked.  
Peach grimaced and brushed her pink dress off before answering. "Yes, yes, I'm fine. I just wanted to get here first. I'm just peachy, as always!"

Zelda laughed, and even Sarah giggled a little, at the joke. Zelda calmed down and turned to introduce the two. "Peach, this is Sarah Holly, Master Hand's new assistant. Sarah, this is Princess Peach, but, like me, she hates being called princess."  
"Pleased to meet you, Sarah," Peach said with a little curtsey and a wink.

Sarah smiled. "Pleased to meet you, too." Zelda waved them into the dining hall as more Smashers started to show up.  
"The best seats will be taken!" she said.  
"There are 'best seats'?" Sarah asked, slightly surprised.  
Peach smiled. "You'll see."

Sarah did see, once they were inside. At least, there were best seats for certain groups of people. A couple of shady looking people sat at a table in the darker corner of the large room. A group of children sat at a table in full sunlight under a huge floor-to-ceiling window, all of them unable to sit still with impatience. Zelda and Peach headed for the table nearest to the kitchen, and Sarah followed, breathing in the savory smells coming from said kitchen.

Zelda had Sarah sit facing the entrance with her so that she could point out everyone who came in.  
"That's Captain Falcon," Zelda said, pointing to the man in the tight racer suit.  
Peach snorted. "The jerk." She waved away Sarah's questioning look.

Zelda shook Sarah's shoulder to get her attention. "The one in the orange armor is Samus Aran. Don't try to talk to her. You'll only be pushed away." Sarah nodded.  
"She likes her privacy a little too much, if you ask me," Peach put in.  
Zelda sighed. "Just because she doesn't like to gossip as much as you do is no reason to hate her." Peach grunted in response.

"Who's that?" Sarah asked, nodding toward the red haired boy coming over to their table. He was joined by a blond boy dressed in green.  
Zelda smiled at them. "Hey guys," she said when they sat down. "This is Sarah Holly. She's working for Master Hand. Sarah, this is Roy, and that's Link."  
The two boys smiled at Sarah and said hello. Sarah smiled back and turned back to watching people.  
Soon enough, the dining hall was filled with people, and a bell rang. Zelda pulled at Sarah's sleeve, indicating that they were to go to the kitchen. "This is why we like sitting here. We get the best food first." Sarah laughed as she took a tray.

After covering her tray with food, (she was starving after her P.E. class) she returned to the table along with the other four, and promptly began to tuck in.  
Peach sat down next to Sarah and looked across the table at Roy. "Where's Marth? It's not like him to miss a meal."

Roy and Link groaned. "We think he's having another mope attack. We haven't seen him since breakfast." Link said. Roy nodded his agreement.  
"That's a shame. We'll have to introduce him to Sarah later," said Zelda. "In the mean time, I'll make your arrival public." She stood with a smile at Sarah.  
Sarah stuttered. "Uh, but you don't have to...." It was too late.

"May I have your attention, please?" Zelda called to the crowd. The dull roar quieted. "Thank you. Everyone, this is Sarah Holly. She will be living here with us while she works for Master Hand. Stand up, Sarah!"  
Sarah felt herself being pulled up, and automatically blushed at being exposed to so many people at once. "Um, hello." she said with a little wave. The crowd grumbled a general 'hello' back at her, and she sat back down quickly.  
"There now, was that so hard?" Link asked her with a smirk. Sarah just glared at him, making the others laugh.

"You'll fit right in with us if you already know how to glare at Link," Roy said, pointing his fork at her.  
The meal continued on, with the four friends quickly accepting Sarah as one of their own. When they all finished, Link and Peach offered to take all the trays back to the kitchen. Sarah stretched as she stood up.

"I'd like to go over the grounds outside, if that's alright," she stated.  
"Sure thing. Mind if we come with you and Zelda?" Roy asked, putting his hand on Sarah's shoulder. Sarah flinched, but it was a tiny movement, and Roy didn't seem to notice it too much. Good, she thought, I'm getting better at controlling that.

Zelda nodded acceptance of the proposed plan, and as soon as Link and Peach returned, they left the dining hall.  
Sarah was glad she had made friends so fast. She was curious about the elusive Marth, but quickly forgot as the group went out one of the side doors onto the grounds. She was sure she would meet him soon enough.

**Me: I'm only stopping there because I've run out of ideas for this chapter. I'll put the next chapter up tomorrow, though, so don't worry about it.  
  
Marth: I wasn't even IN this one!  
  
Roy: I was!  
  
Me: You'll show up soon, Marth. If not in the next one, then definitely the one after that.  
  
Link: Remember, Kuroi Tenshi – Dark Angel likes reviews! She would also like to say thank you to metamidnight for reviewing!**


	3. The Meeting

**Me: It's me again! And this time, Marth really IS mine!!!!! -  
  
Marth: /sighs/ Here we go again....  
  
Roy: Um... no, you still don't own Marth.  
  
Me: /pouts/ Of course I do!  
  
Link: Kuroi, honey, you don't own him. Never have, never will.  
  
Me: WAAAAHHH!!!!! You guys are SO MEAN!  
  
Roy: So... does this mean I don't have to do the stuff anymore?  
  
Me: Of course you do! You don't think I would do it myself, do you?  
  
Roy: /sighs/ Alright. Kuroi Tenshi – Dark Angel does not own SSBM, or any of its characters (including Marth). She does still own Sarah Holly, so don't steal her.  
  
Marth: Am I going to be in this one?  
  
Me: Maybe. If you're good.  
  
Link: Just start the chapter, already!  
  
**

**Getting Over Our Troubles – The Meeting**

Sarah Holly was daydreaming and sitting in her window when a sharp knock interrupted her thoughts. She pushed herself away from the nighttime view and opened the door.

Zelda and Peach stood just outside. Both were wearing what appeared to serve them as pajamas. "Can we come in?" asked Zelda. Sarah nodded and moved aside. The two girls swept into the room and immediately plunked down on Sarah's bed.  
"If the boys decide to come over, can they come in too?" Peach asked.

Sarah shrugged and moved back to the window. "I guess so, if they really want to. What's up?"  
"Nothing, really, just thought we would get you used to how we operate at night. We always pile into someone's room and talk," replied Zelda.

"Usually, we go to the boys' room, since they all share one," Peach said lazily as she lay back on the bed.  
Zelda giggled. "Yeah, the girls are lucky. Since there are only six of us, seven now, we can each have our own room. But the boys all have to share!" Sarah joined the two girls in laughing.

The girls chatted for a while longer. It was mostly gossip about the other Smashers, but Sarah didn't mind. It was close to eleven o'clock when another knock came on the door. Sarah opened it, revealing Roy and Link, each dressed in comfortable looking clothes. There were happy greetings from Zelda and Peach behind her as she let them in.

"We went to your rooms first, but obviously you weren't there," Roy said, looking annoyed.  
Link frowned at Zelda and Peach. "You could have told us we were going to meet in here tonight."  
"We would have if we'd known for sure. We still had to ask Sarah if it was alright," Peach replied.

"Huh," Zelda huffed. "Marth's still not around?"  
Roy looked upset, then a little worried. "No. He still hasn't shown up. I think this is going to be another long one."  
Link glanced at Sarah from his spot against the dresser. "Marth goes off and depresses himself from time to time. If he's gotten himself really down, he'll stay out for a week. Basically as long as he can manage to go without the dining hall."  
"Oh." Sarah's earlier curiosity over the subject of Marth was stirred up again. She listened to the others talk about him.

"His worst time was a few months ago. Something must have come up to make him think of Altea again," Zelda said sadly. Sarah could tell that the whole group felt sympathy for their missing friend.  
Roy sighed. "He just can't seem to work through his problems. I just wish I could help him."  
"But he's never around when he needs to talk about it. He just keeps it all inside," Peach said. Link nodded in agreement.

Zelda pushed herself up onto an elbow and spoke in a more cheerful voice. "We should tell Sarah about our club!" The others perked up at this.  
"Club?" Sarah said questioningly. The others nodded vigorously.

Roy cleared his throat. "Yes, our club. Although, I suppose it's not really a club, per se, just a name for our group. We, that is, us and Marth, are called The Five Smashketeers."  
Sarah raised an eyebrow. "The Five Smashketeers? Isn't that a little cliché? Not to mention cheesy."  
"That was the only thing we could think of," Link said defensively. Sarah giggled in response.

Peach sniffed daintily. "If you don't like it, you don't have to become our sixth member. Such a shame, too. We need another girl."  
"But that would make you The Six Smashketeers. I'd throw everything off," Sarah said.  
Peach shook her head. "No, no, no. We started out as The Three Smashketeers, just me, Zelda and Link. When Marth arrived, we became The Four, and when Roy came, the Five."

"Do you think it's too cheesy for you to join?" Link asked.  
Sarah pretended to think hard for a moment before answering. "I suppose I could put my prejudices behind me." Her response was met with cheers, although they were quiet enough not to disturb the other inhabitants of the dorms.

After Sarah's initiation, which was little more than her swearing to keep all club information secret from non-club-members, the group talked for a while longer. It was nearing midnight when the boys left for their own dorm.

"Sleep well, Sarah," Roy said as he passed her.  
"Don't let the girls keep you up too late. They like gossiping too much," Link said. Zelda pushed him in an indignant reply. He brushed against Sarah's arm as he regained his balance, causing her to flinch. Damn it, she thought. Why can't I stop doing that? Link didn't notice, and neither did Zelda or Peach. Roy was too far away to have seen it anyway.

The girls only stayed long enough after the boys had left to warn Sarah against the horrible pranks the boys would try to pull on her, and to wish her good night. She closed the door behind them and flopped onto her bed.

She thought back to the earlier conversation. She didn't know why, but she hoped she would get to meet Marth sooner rather than later.

**Me: So? What did you think? Was it good? Awful? Tell me!  
  
Marth: You didn't put me in it yet!  
  
Roy: It's because she hates you, and loved us.  
  
Marth: It is not! She always wants to own me, not you.  
  
Me: Now, boys. Marth, I promise you'll be in the next one.  
  
Link: You told him that last time.  
  
Me: I said something like that, yes. But this time I'm not lying. Now remind the nice readers of what they're supposed to do.  
  
Link: Kuroi Tenshi – Dark Angel wants you to click the nice button below and send her a review.  
  
Me: Good job, Link.**


	4. The Smash Battle Files

**KT – DA: Hello, everybody! It's me again! I know, I know, I STILL don't own Marth.  
  
Roy: /gasps/ she admits it!  
  
Marth: That's the way, milady!  
  
Link: Oh, please...  
  
KT – DA: /hugs Marth, despite non-ownership/ Roy, do the stuff.  
  
Roy: Okay. Kuroi Tenshi – Dark Angel, does not own SSBM in any way, shape or form.  
  
KT – DA: That's good, Roy. Link, you take the last bit.  
  
Link: riiight... Kuroi Tenshi – Dark Angel does own Sarah Holly, and seeing as she's gotten quite fond of her, she'd appreciate it if you didn't steal her for your own stories. You wanna use her, you gotta ask for her.  
  
Marth: Kuroi Tenshi – Dark Angel would like to apologize for not updating yesterday. She was otherwise occupied.  
  
KT – DA: And now, on with the chapter.  
  
Getting Over Our Troubles – The Smash Battle Files**  
  
Sarah Holly walked down the stairs from the girls' dormitory slowly, patting her hair into place. She was not a vain girl by any means, but that didn't mean she wanted to go around looking less than her best. Besides, this was her first day on the job, which was even more incentive to look nice. Finally satisfied with her hair, she entered the dining hall.

Roy was the only one at the table when she arrived. He waved at her and smiled in greeting, his mouth too full to speak. Sarah sat down daintily.  
"Good morning, Roy," she said. There was a basket of fruit on the table, and she helped herself to an apple. She hated breakfast, but knew she would need to eat something.

Roy swallowed his food. "Yes, good morning. You're up on the early side. Aren't you going to eat anything else?" His own tray was just as full as it had been at dinner the other night.  
Sarah shook her head. "Eating in the morning makes me queasy at best. And yes, I suppose it is a bit early. Where's Link?"

"Still in bed when I left. He likes to sleep late. So do the girls, in fact. I'm usually in here alone at breakfast, unless Marth's gotten up later than usual," Roy said before taking a mouthful of orange juice.  
Sarah blinked at the mention of the still-elusive Marth. "Marth likes to get up early too? Is he back yet?"  
Roy heaved a sigh. "No, he hasn't returned. This is beginning to look like it's going to last a while. It's always bad when he stays out for a long time."

Sarah suppressed an irritated sigh. She still didn't know why she wanted to meet him so badly. She could manage just as easily without any more male influence in her life. Even thinking about that made her shiver. She hated being touched by men.

Sarah glanced down at her watch. It was seven forty-five. "Roy, if you see the others, tell them I said good morning. I've got to go meet Master Hand in his office at eight o'clock."  
Roy nodded and wished her good luck. Sarah left before he could do anything like pat her on the back.

Sarah followed the corridors carefully. She remembered the saying her mother used to say all the time. "Know that you're right, and then go ahead," she would say. It wouldn't do for Sarah to go wandering around the halls, recklessly looking for the office. She was certain to get herself hopelessly lost that way. She went over the directions at every turn. The extra time paid off when she arrived at the office on time without having taken any wrong turns.

The door opened at Sarah's tentative knock, and Master Hand waved her inside.  
"Good morning, Miss Holly. Are you ready to start working?" Master Hand asked, sitting down in his chair again.  
Sarah nodded. "Yes sir. I think I can find my way around enough to start."  
Master Hand rubbed his hands together. He then reached down and opened a drawer in his desk. He motioned for Sarah to come closer, and handed her a cell phone.

"Here you go. You will use this to communicate with me, and vice versa. Keep it with you at all times. If you get lost, call me, and I'll tell you what to do. Don't worry about paying the bill. I'll take care of that," he said. Sarah thanked him and put the phone in her pocket.  
"Your first job is quite simple. I need you to go to the library and find a file for me," Master Hand continued.  
Sarah nodded. "I remember where the library is, and I'm sure I can find the filing cabinets. Which file do you need?"

Master Hand smiled. "Something has come up that has to do with a past battle. Actually, the battle occurred during the days of the original Super Smash Brothers Tournament. I need you to find the battle file from the week of April 24th, 1995. Just bring the file back to me, and I'll give it back to you when I'm finished."

So Sarah traveled back down the halls of Smash Mansion, seeking out the library. She was glad her first job was something relatively easy, although she hoped her next one would get her closer to some of the Smashers. She liked making friends, even if she wasn't relatively good at it.

The library looked and felt very empty of people when she arrived. There was no answer when she called out 'hello,' so she moved toward the back wall with a shrug. The files were arranged in the back corners of the room by subject and date, which made them fairly easy to navigate. She found the drawer labeled 'Battles, '95, Jan-June' without any trouble and quickly pulled it open. Her fingers crept over the file tabs, searching out April 24th, which she found easily.

Sarah took her prize, closed the drawer with a triumphant grin, her face tilted up as it always was when she was in a good mood, and turned to face a pair of impossibly blue eyes. She thought she might drown in the total blueness and the utter sadness of those eyes if she let herself look into them for too long, but she also felt as though she couldn't possibly look away.

The eyes blinked, and the spell was broken. Even though it had barely been a second, looking into those eyes had seemed to take hours to Sarah. She stumbled back against the filing cabinets with a slight gasp, and managed to take in the whole figure standing before her. It was a boy, dressed all in blue. Even his hair was blue, but there was a slight difference in shade from magnificent blue of his eyes. His clothes looked slightly medieval, and noble. The blue fabric looked like it was lined with fur at the edges, and there was a silver buckle on the thin belt that was slung around his slim waist. Peeking out above the bangs that fell into his eyes was a small, golden crown.

The boy's eyes, while still looking horribly sad, suddenly looked concerned. "Forgive me, milady. I did not mean to startle you."  
Sarah managed to find her tongue after a moment, but she was glad he had spoken first. "I-it's alright. I just didn't think there was anyone else in here."

A slight smile appeared on the boy's lips. It still looked sad. "I've only just arrived. I heard someone moving around back here, and I thought I would see who it was. I have never met you before. Might I have the honor of your name?"

Sarah almost blushed at the chivalrous courtesy the boy was showing her. She decided to play along. After all, it never hurt to be polite. "I'm Sarah Holly. Master Hand just hired me as his Personal Assistant. Are you, by chance, a Smasher?"

"I am," said the boy. "My name is Marth. It's a pleasure to meet you, Lady Sarah," He said with a small bow.  
If any other boy had been standing before her acting like this, she would have scoffed openly and told them to stop playacting and get a life. She hated boys who acted in such a cheesy manner. Perhaps it was the outfit, or even the look of Marth himself, but the chivalry and perfect court manners seemed to fit him just right. It was certainly no laughing matter to him. It was what he considered perfectly natural.

Sarah smiled at him. She couldn't help feeling as though she had unwittingly stepped into a fairy tale. "It's very nice to meet you too. I've heard about you some."  
Marth looked interested in knowing what she had heard, but didn't pursue the matter. Instead, he offered her his arm. "If Milady is finished with her business, I would make myself available as an escort to where ever Milady needs to go next."

Sarah surprised herself by shifting the file to her other hand and taking the proffered elbow. She kept her flinch to a minimum. "I would appreciate that. I still feel like I'm going to get lost. I think the halls are going to change on me," she said with a bright smile up at him. He was tall enough that she had to look up a little to look him in the eye. He smiled back at her, and the sadness seemed to lessen slightly.

Marth walked Sarah all the way back to Master Hand's office, the two of them chatting lightly. Sarah found herself liking his chivalry more and more, knowing all the time that it wouldn't be that way with anyone else. She noticed how his eyes seemed to become more cheery each time she looked at them, and it made her feel good, for some reason.

When they reached the foyer, Marth took Sarah's hand from his elbow. "Milady, I have greatly enjoyed your company. I hope we may become friends?"  
"Of course we will. I liked walking with you too Marth," Sarah said with a grin.

Marth's eyes twinkled. They were bright now, but Sarah could still see the dark sadness lurking just beneath the surface. "I must take my leave now, as I am scheduled to battle in a few minutes. I shall see you again, Milady Sarah." With that, Marth raised her hand to his lips and gently kissed it. Sarah blushed as she watched his retreating back.

Coming to her senses, Sarah walked down the corridor to the office. She simply smiled as she handed Master Hand the file he had sent her to retrieve.

"Good work. Why don't you go to the kitchens now? Your resume said that you enjoy cooking and baking, right? Go have fun," Master Hand dismissed her and turned his attention to the file lying on his desk.  
Sarah left the office and started for the kitchen, wondering when she would meet the Chivalrous Marth again.  
  
**KT – DA: So? What did you think? Was it good?  
  
Marth: I was in this one! Yay!  
  
Roy: I got to eat in this one! Yay!  
  
Link: I got to sleep late! Yay!  
  
KT – DA: This is finally starting to become a romance. Anyone wondering why Marth is always so depressed? Anyone know what Sarah's problem with men touching her is? Tell me, and I'll make sure you find out! **


	5. The Scent of Baking Cookies

**Man in Black Suit: I have a notice here for Kuroi Tenshi – Dark Angel.  
  
KT – DA: That's me!  
  
MIBS: /Hands her an official-looking document/ This gives you the rights and full ownership of one Marth, from Super Smash Brothers and Fire Emblem.  
  
KT – DA: OO; WOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!  
  
MIBS: /leaves/  
  
KT – DA: Pinch me now! I must be dreaming!  
  
Roy: /pinches her/  
  
POOF  
  
KT – DA: /wakes up, is drooling on keyboard/ NO! I didn't mean to REALLY pinch me!!!!!!  
  
Link: Was it the dream with the Man in Black Suit again?  
  
KT – DA: Yes!!!! /sobs/  
  
Marth: It's okay, milady. Here, I'll let you hug me today.  
  
KT – DA: Really? Okay! /clamps onto his arm/ Roy, do the stuff.  
  
Roy: /sighs/ uh-huh. Kuroi Tenshi – Dark Angel does not own SSBM or any of it's characters. She does own Sarah Holly, and if you want to use her in your stories, you gotta ask for permission.  
  
KT – DA: /snuggles Marth/ That was great, Roy. Marth, you do the request today.  
  
Marth: Okay. Milady, Kuroi Tenshi – Dark Angel, loves to get reviews. It lets her know how she's doing. So please, when you finish reading the chapter, click the handy little review button down there.  
  
KT – DA: Link, you do the new thing, you know the one we talked about in th meeting this morning.  
  
Link: Yeah. All of us here would like to say thank you to SuperSmashGirl and YuffieGirl7 for your wonderful reviews.  
  
KT – DA: Now, the next chapter of Getting Over Our Troubles!

* * *

**

**Getting Over Our Troubles – The Scent of Baking Cookies**

Sarah Holly stepped into the large kitchen of Smash Mansion and felt that this was clearly a capable kitchen, worthy only of a master chef. Apparently, the resident cook hadn't felt like doing lunch today, and had only set out a tray of sandwiches for the Smashers to choose from.

A quick look around the spacious kitchen showed her that she was alone. She smiled, preferring to be alone when she cooked for the first time in a strange kitchen.

It was truly an amazing kitchen. There were four large ovens, each one with a stove top. Cabinets lined every wall, hanging above the counters and opening underneath them. A rack of utensils swung from the ceiling of to the side of the ovens. The only thing Sarah didn't like about the place was that nothing was where it should be. All the equipment was stored haphazardly and sloppily in the cabinets. She would have to organize things a bit before she could get to the baking she was planning.

Sarah did just that. It took her about half an hour to organize things in a semi-usable fashion. It wasn't anywhere near perfect, but it would do for now. She pulled out the things she needed for baking and got started.

In the common room, three children were playing tag, hoping they wouldn't get caught by one of the adults. Suddenly, Young Link stopped running from Pichu and sniffed the air. Pichu ran into Young Link before asking what he was doing, and Nana walked over to see what had stopped their game.

"In the kitchen. Someone's making cookies! And some other things, too, if I'm not mistaken," Young Link said, a childish look of delight appearing on his face. The three children rushed off to the kitchen at once.

Sarah was just pulling her first batch of cookies out of the first oven when she heard the children screech to a halt somewhere behind her. Putting the cookie tray down, she turned around.

Nana spoke up, pointing at Sarah. "You're the new girl, right?"  
"Yes, I'm new," Sarah said, brushing her sweaty hair out of her eyes.  
Young Link couldn't wait any longer. "Can we help you with the cookies?"  
Sarah laughed again. "As a matter of fact, you can. See these bowls?" She held up the mixing bowls she'd used for her cookie dough, and the children nodded. "They need cleaning, but I can't stand to waste perfectly good cookie dough. Why don't you take care of it while I finish up my second batch?"

The children grinned and took the bowls. "We can do that!" Pichu cried.  
"Would you like spoons, or are you content to use your fingers?" Sarah called over her shoulder as she put the next tray into the oven. Nana said that she'd like a spoon, but the others didn't need them.

So they worked on, Nana happy with her spoon. Sarah watched them until another of her buzzers went off, and she went to check on her other creations. She was making not only cookies, but two large chocolate cakes, two pies (one cherry, one blueberry) and a pan of brownies. She was a wizard in the kitchen, her ability to multi-task brought into all its glory when she was baking.

While Sarah waited for her cakes to cool off, she prepared her icing. Roy, Link, Zelda and Peach came in at that moment.  
"Wow!" Was all Peach could say.  
Roy looked at Sarah like he'd found his dream girl. "You can bake?"  
Link and Zelda Simply sat on stools by the counter.

Sarah failed to conceal her smile as she began icing the nearest cake. She had just finished when two buzzers went off at the same time. She pulled out her pies and brownies, letting them sit on the stove tops while she finished her cakes. The others watched her in silent wonder as she put her leftover icing in a plastic bag and cut the tip off. She started squeezing the bag over the cakes, but they couldn't see what she was doing exactly.

When she stepped away, they could see that the cakes had decorative lines of icing around the edges, and a small lump of the stuff in what would be the middle of each piece. Her audience 'ooh-ed' and 'aah-ed'. Pichu tugged on Sarah's apron with her messy paws to tell her that they were done with the bowls.

Roy offered to help Sarah wash all the dishes, an offer she accepted immediately. She set him drying everything while she washed. She flinched every time their hands accidentally met, but she managed to disguise it as shaking water and soap suds off.

"Everyone who's done with their lunch is asking if they get to have dessert now," Zelda announced.  
Sarah smiled. "No. They have to wait until after dinner. It's not all ready to eat yet. The pies aren't done cooling." Zelda went back out to inform the other Smashers.

The children washed their hands and grabbed their own sandwiches from the tray, but they didn't join their friends at the table. Instead, they stayed in the kitchen. The older teens did the same.

"When I was little, I would watch my mother cooking and baking, and I always pestered her to teach me. She did, and when she taught me every recipe she knew, she sent me to a special culinary arts school. I was the youngest student there, but I was close to the top in my class," Sarah told her friends.

"That's fascinating, Milady," said a voice from the door. Everyone turned to look in surprise.  
"Marth!" Roy cried, jumping up in anger. "Where have you been all this time?" Zelda and Peach joined him. Sarah simply smiled shyly at the blue-haired boy, remembering the library. She wondered how chivalrous he would be to her now, with people around and seeing her working in the kitchen. She turned back to her lunch.

Marth, meanwhile, was apologizing for his extended absence. He slid past the crowd of annoyed teenagers and grabbed a sandwich from the tray. He moved to stand next to Sarah's seat.  
"Do you mind if I sit here, Milady?" he asked.

Sarah blushed a little and told him she didn't. She looked at him as he sat down, noting the same sad look in his eyes as before. The others sat back in their spots again, over their anger at Marth.  
Peach noticed Sarah's blush. "Don't be flattered by his manners, Sarah. He calls every woman 'milady.' It's what comes of being a prince."

Sarah looked at Marth, surprised. He was a prince? He had failed to mention it, but it made perfect sense. After all, wasn't he wearing a crown?  
Marth looked perturbed. "Ex-prince, Milady Peach. I don't rule Altea anymore. Besides, what's wrong with being polite? People tend to like you better if you are."

"Why aren't you a prince anymore?" Sarah asked quietly.  
Marth's eyes darkened. "My country was destroyed. There were hardly any survivors." Sarah regretted asking, and quickly tried to change the subject.

"Well, I think you're still princely enough. I've got to go set out the desserts for later," she said.  
She caught Marth's grateful smile before she turned her back on the group. She wondered if this was what he was so dejected about. He clearly didn't like talking about it, but it looked like the others had pressured him for information. She knew how awful that felt, having people make you talk about your worst experiences again and again as if they were entertainment.

She pushed her unpleasant memories from her, trying in vain not to flinch at them. Looking back over her shoulder at her new friends, she wondered if they would do the same to her as her friends from school had right after the incident. She could only hope they wouldn't. For some reason, as Marth caught her eye again and smiled reassuringly at her, she felt that he, at least, wouldn't.  
  
**

* * *

**

**KT – DA: So? So, so, so? Tell me what you think!  
  
Marth: Please...review....she won't let go.....until you do  
  
Roy: When is Sarah gonna bake cookies for us again? And do I get to lick the bowl next time?  
  
Link: Roy, Sarah's never going to bake just for you. Get over it and find one of your fangirls.  
  
Marth: I can't.....feel my....arm.....aahg....  
  
KT –DA: Please review!!!!! **


	6. The Second Job and What It Led To

**KT – DA: Hey all. We're back!  
  
Roy: Run away! Run away!  
  
Marth: /hits Roy/ Shut up and be nice to milady.  
  
Roy: /rubs head/ okay, okay, sheesh...  
  
Link: Listen, can I go now? I've got a date with Zelda.  
  
KT – DA: Sure, just wait until you've done your part. Roy, start off with the stuff.  
  
Roy: /speaking monotonously/ Kuroi Tenshi – Dark Angel doesn't own SSBM in any way, shape, or form. She does own Sarah Holly.  
  
KT –DA: Okay, Link. Go to it.  
  
Link: Kuroi Tenshi – Dark Angel would like to apologize for not updating yesterday. She was suffering from writers block.  
  
KT – DA: um... right. You can go now. Marth?  
  
Link: Woo hoo! Free! /leaves/  
  
Marth: We would all like to say thank you to SuperSmashGal and Princess of Altea for their wonderful reviews.  
  
KT – DA: Great. Now let's get this show on the road!**

**

* * *

Getting Over Our Troubles – The Second Job and What It Led To**  
  
Sarah Holly walked into the transport room that connected the Mansion with the Stadium, led by Master Hand. After complimenting her on her superb baking skills after dinner, (he had eaten a slice of cherry pie and a few cookies) He had asked her to come with him for her second job.

He turned to a large closet that was locked with a padlock and began fumbling with a ring of keys at his waist.  
"Ah! There it is. Here," Master Hand extracted a silver key from the ring and gave it to Sarah. "That's the key to the Item Closet right here. It's kept locked all the time so the Smashers can't cheat."

Sarah nodded. "So what do we do with the items?"  
"In some battles, the Smashers get to use items against their opponents. I used to have to put them up the day before the battle. Happily, I can now hand the job off to you. Here, I'll show you how to do it," Master Hand said, unlocking the closet door with his own key. He pulled out a bag and began stuffing it full of items. Sarah thought some of them looked rather odd. There were long rods topped with stars, gleaming purple swords, large rubber mallets, red and white mushrooms, and many more.

Finally, Master Hand seemed satisfied with what he had gathered and locked the door again. Motioning for Sarah to follow, he headed for the transporter, dragging the bag behind him. He punched a few buttons, telling Sarah he'd teach her how to operate it later, and they disappeared.

When Sarah's eyes cleared, they were standing in what appeared to be a ruined temple.  
"Hyrule Temple stage," Master Hand informed her, dropping the bag of items with a thump. Sarah looked around while he unloaded the bag.

"Here," Master Hand pulled her attention away from a crumbling shrine. "Time to learn how to set item traps."  
He pulled a ladder from behind a fallen pillar and set it up by the shrine. Sarah could suddenly see the light glinting off of strings, thin and clear like fishing wire. They hung from the ceiling, and no one from the stands behind her could have possibly seen them. Curious, Sarah climbed up the ladder behind Master Hand and sat on the roof of the shrine.

Master Hand pulled on one of the strings, and a small metal box dropped down from the ceiling, still attached to the string. Master Hand grabbed the box and flipped it open.  
"Here's what you do. You pull on one of these strings and take the box that falls down. Put an item inside it, and latch the box," Master Hand put an item, one of the glowing purple swords, inside the box and closed it, twisting the screw latch into place. Sarah nodded to show she understood.

"Right. So then, you need to set the counter. If the battle is going to be a many-itemed battle, you set the counter low, but if they only want a few items, you set it higher. The counter counts either times that the string is brushed during battle, or seconds before the item is released automatically," Master Hand set the counter for ten brushes and tugged on the string. The box shot up to the ceiling, and the string hanging down became a darker color.

Master Hand pointed this out. "When you're finished, you tug on the string, and it'll change color so you know that this one has been done already."  
Sarah looked at rather large number of strings hanging down over the stage. "Do I have to put an item on all of them?" she asked faintly.

Master Hand chuckled. "No, no! Of course not. They're all there so that you can have items popping up all over the stage." Sarah looked relieved.  
Master Hand watched her set one to make sure she did it right. Satisfied, he told her that he still had some paperwork to do, and he left her to finish up. Sarah worked steadily, unfortunately coming across some latches that were a bit rusted. She had a hard time turning those, and her fingers slipped more than once, giving her some scratches.

When she finally finished, she felt surprisingly tired. Wearily, she gathered up the remaining items and slung the bag over her shoulder. She followed Master Hand's footsteps over to a small control panel on the side of the stands and found the transport button. Like before, she was surrounded by light, and when it cleared away, she was back in the transport room in Smash Mansion.

Sarah locked the items in the closet and started to drag herself back to dormitory. A glance at her watch told her that it was very late, getting close to eleven-thirty. She suppressed a yawn and continued down the hallway.

It wasn't long before she realized how lost she was. She had only been down to the transport room once before and now she was in a part of the mansion that she had never seen before. Holding back her mounting panic, she looked around for any sort of hint as to where she had gotten herself. She found nothing.

In her fright, she didn't stay put. Instead, she became curious about her location, and decided to take a good look around. Her weariness seemed to melt away as she stepped into a room to her right. The room seemed very empty. In fact, it only had one piece of furniture inside, a china cabinet that was pushed against the far wall. The room was dark, since it was nighttime, but the curtains were pulled away from the windows, telling her that the room would be bright on a sunny day.

She went into many rooms besides the China Room. Most of them were just as empty, but there seemed to be something interesting about each of them. In one, she found a closet full of beautiful gowns, gowns that a princess would have worn to a ball. Another room was full of dusty bookshelves and books. A few reading chairs were scattered around the room, and most of them had a book or two one them. Sarah spent a long time in this room, hoping she would be able to find it again. She loved books, and these looked like they hadn't been read in ages.

One room seemed to be about the size of two rooms, and its walls were covered in portraits. They were of old people, young children, a few that she would have called 'sullen teens' and some middle aged people. They were all finely dressed, as though they had been very rich. After looking at all of them, Sarah left the Portrait Room for more exploration.

There were many more rooms down this corridor, and she went into most of them. It was almost midnight when she went into her last one. This one was slightly different. It looked somehow lived in. She realized that this was because all of the windows were open, and the slight breeze had blown the dust off of everything. This room also had a few bookshelves, though not so many as her Ancient Library, and some scattered furniture. The sound of the wind and the rustling leaves of the trees were strangely soothing. They were also loud enough that she almost missed the light sniffling sound coming from the back corner of the dark room.

Stepping lightly, Sarah searched for what was making the noise. When she stepped on a creaky floorboard, the sniffling was replaced by a quick gasp, and then stopped. Sarah moved a little faster, and found herself staring down at impossibly blue eyes for the second time that day.

Marth stared back up at her, almost reproachfully, and Sarah felt hypnotized by the stare. Marth gulped and looked away, and Sarah noticed that he had been crying. Biting her lip, she crouched down next to him.

"Um... hello Marth. What... what are you doing in here?" she asked, kicking herself mentally for the stupid question.  
Marth shot an ice-blue glare at her. "Trying to get a little privacy," he snapped.  
Sarah nodded. "I'm sorry for intruding on you. I, er, got lost going back to the dorms, and I just started looking in all the rooms down this hallway."

Marth sighed, and his anger seemed to dissipate. He wiped at his eyes. "You got lost, Milady? I'm sorry. I shouldn't have... I wasn't thinking about... It's only your first day working, of course you would get lost."  
"Does anyone else come to this hallway?" Sarah asked, her explorer's spirit flaring up again.

A small smile formed on Marth's lips. "No. Just me. I found it the first week I was here and just sort of claimed the whole thing as mine. I've never mentioned it to anyone."

Sarah couldn't help herself. She fell in love with the idea of a secret room that only a select few could know about. "Oh! That's wonderful! I've never had anything like that. My family lived in an apartment for a while, but we moved to a small house after I was—"She cut off suddenly, frightened at what she had been about to tell him. This boy, who she had only just met today. She didn't even know him, and she was about to tell him the dark secrets of her past? What was wrong with her?

Marth didn't say anything about the abrupt halt in the conversation, but he had clearly noticed it. He maneuvered away from the topic. "Did you see the library?"

Sarah perked up. "Yes! I hope I'll be able to find it again. I love to read."  
"So do I. If you want, I'll help you find it until you con do it on your own. I don't really know why, but I think I'd like to share my hallway with you," Marth offered meekly. If Sarah hadn't been enjoying it so much, she would have laughed at how they were acting like very small children who wanted to share their lunches.

"Thank you. I'd like that very much," She replied with a smile. Suddenly, she felt tired, lulled by the rustling leaves and the wind. She barely stifled a large yawn and glanced at her watch. It was one o'clock in the morning. Marth leapt to his feet and held his hand out for her.

"Milady! I didn't realize how late it was. Let me take you back to the dormitory," he said with concern in his voice. Sarah took his hand, flinched a little at the contact, and allowed him to pull her to her feet.  
Marth looked at her. "Did I hurt you?"  
Sarah blushed lightly. "N-no. I'm fine."

"But... alright, if you say so. Come on, it's late," Marth said, dropping her hand as well as the subject. He led her out of the room and down the corridor. Sarah was surprised at how far off track she had managed to get. It took them nearly ten minutes to reach the stairs to the dorms. They gave each other a final goodnight, and Marth smiled at her. It was a genuine smile, without a trace of sadness in it. He bowed to her, and then disappeared into the room he shared with Link and Roy.

Sarah closed her bedroom door and collapsed on the bed, not bothering to change clothes or even take off her shoes. Tired out by work and exploration, she fell into an easy, dreamless sleep.

* * *

**KT – DA: Ta daaaaa!  
  
Marth: Cool! I get a secret hallway!  
  
Roy: It's not really secret. Anyone can get to it.  
  
Marth: Yes, but they don't, so it's all mine!  
  
KT – DA: And Sarah's now.  
  
Link: I'm back! What did I miss?  
  
Roy: Oh, nothing much. Just another chapter.  
  
Link: Oh. Okay then.  
  
Marth: I'm going to play Fire Emblem. See you all later.  
  
KT – DA: Review, please!!!!!! **


	7. Spheres of Disaster

KT - DA: It's okay, everyone! I'm alive!  
  
Roy: Oh my God!It lives!  
  
Marth: Milady! Where on Earth have you been all this time?  
  
KT - DA: Ah...well...erm...you see, I had writer's block really bad...  
  
Link: pssh. Excuses mean nothing.  
  
Roy: yeah, you've kept us waiting forever here! We want to know what's going on!  
  
KT - DA: Relax, guys! My friend here, Kudo Sorano, helped me come up with this next bit.  
  
Kudo Sorano: Hello. /sees Roy/ Holy... wow! /grabs onto Roy/ Can I have him?  
  
Roy: Oh my...  
  
KT - DA: sure. Just let him do the stuff first.  
  
Roy: Wha-? oh, alright. Kuroi Tenshi - Dark Angel does not own Super Smash Brothers Melee or any of it's characters.  
  
KT - DA: Right. Link, you next.  
  
Link: We wish to thank everyone who has reviewed in all this great span of time, and congratulate you on your patience.  
  
Marth: Milady! On to the chapter!  
  
KT - DA: Right!

* * *

Getting Over Our Troubles - Spheres of Disaster  
  
Sarah Holly stretched out her stiff back and neck. She shouldn't have let herself hunch over her work so much, but it was too late for regrets now. She sighed and picked up the item trap she had been fixing, pushing her bangs firmly behind her ear. She glanced at her watch as she straightened. It was nearing lunch time, and she was hungry. However, she wanted to finish all of her work before the afternoon battles started.  
  
Hitting the transporter buttons absently, Sarah double checked that she had everything she needed to do the job properly. Master Hand had just yesterday shown her how to do it, and she didn't want to mess up something this important. The now-familiar light swept her away to the Fountain of Dreams stage. Sarah put her bag down on one of the platforms and set up her ladder. Once she was certain that it was up right, she picked up the bag and climbed up to the narrow catwalk that was above the stage. Master Hand had pointed out the fact that there was no permanent ladder access to the catwalk, a mistake the builders had made. Sarah didn't mind. It just meant less chance of Ganondorf and his gang cheating, since the ladder she was using at the moment was kept locked in the Item Closet.  
  
Sarah edged along the metal walkway until she found the ring attached to the bottom. Here, she set down her bag yet again and reached down to pull the ring up. It was large and cumbersome on the suspended catwalk, but she managed it. She flipped the ring over and set it on her lap. On the bottom of the ring were what looked like seven glass spheres. Sarah knew better, though. The spheres were one of the best technological advances made from the original tournament.  
  
As she worked to replace the old spheres with new ones, she thought over what Master Hand had told her about them. They were the system that allowed the Smashers to hit eachother with everything they had and still not get hurt more than a little sting now and then. Wounds were almost completely eliminated. The spheres took in the pain from a small chip that was placed behind each Smasher's ear prior to his battle. After the battle finished, the pain waves stored in the spheres were converted into harmless photons, then dissipated into the outside air. Sarah wasn't completely sure how they worked, but she remembered Roy mentioning something about them being full of microscopic nanomachines that did the conversions.  
  
Each sphere could only operate for five battles before it wore out, which was when Sarah would have to swap them with new ones. She made sure that the last sphere was screwed in as tightly as possible before she swung the metal ring back over the side of the catwalk. Picking up her now-empty bag, she moved back to the ladder and climbed down.  
  
Sarah walked into the nearly empty Dining Hall after having washed up and moved immediately to the food line. The resident cook seemed to have lost the breif fervor he had gained on finding out that Sarah could cook musch better than he. He had set out only a platter of sandwiches again, along with the usual basket of fruit on each table. Sarah helped herself and sat down at the table to eat in silence.  
  
As she was finishing her last bite, her cell phone rang from her jeans pocket, making her jump. Grumbling a bit about frightening equipment, she fished it out and flipped it open.  
"Hello?"  
"Sarah? I have a new job for you," Master Hand's voice said. "Are you available for managing crowds entering the stadium this afternoon?"  
Sarah wondered why he was asking her, since he was the one who scheduled everything, but didn't question him. "Sure, I can do that. Is someone else not able to make it?"  
"Yes, Ganondorf was scheduled to do it, but he's called to say he doesn't feel too good," Master Hand said.  
  
Sarah wasn't aware that Ganondorf had ever felt particularly good. She groaned at her unintentional pun. "Sure thing, Master Hand. I'll do it," she said, and hung up the phone.  
"Sarah! There you are!" Came a shout from behind Sarah as she stood. Turning, she saw Link and Roy enter the Dining Hall, looking out of breath.  
"Ha! I told you she'd be here! Getting ready to bake desserts again, no doubt," Roy said, jabbing Link in the ribs playfully. Link looked upset at his apparent loss.  
Sarah laughed at her friends. "No, Roy, I'm not. Master Hand just called me and asked me to take over crowd management for Ganon. That's where I'm headed right now," She said, smiling at the redhead's falling face.  
  
Link looked positively gleeful. "There, you see? I was right, you were wrong! Take that!"  
"Actually, you're both right, and you're both wrong. Before Master Hand called, I was going to bake. so," Sarah grinned. "Was there anything else you wanted? Because I've got to go to work." And with that, she brushed past them into the hallway.  
  
Sarah had been working crowd control for half an hour when her eyes stumbled upon those familiar deep, sad blue ones again. She smiled at him in greeting, thinking how she always seemed to run into him at odd moments.  
"Hello, Marth. What are you doing out here? Do you have a battle today?" She asked calmly, her tone belying her fluttering heart.  
Marth smiled softly at her. "No, I don't. I just saw you and thought you could use a little help." It was only then that Sarah realized that Marth was not wearing his royal blue fighting outfit. Instead, he was wearing a green T-shirt and blue jeans. His golden crown was nowhere to be seen.  
"Yes, help would be nice. Thanks Marth," she said, reaching out to take another specator's tickets.  
  
Marth took control of another teller, and the line of people waiting to get in split in two. Finally, when everyone was inside the stadium, Sarah left to take up her in-battle post on the catwalks. With a last smile over her shoulder at Marth, she was gone up the stairs. Sarah noted how dark the sky was starting to get off in the distance, and hoped that it didn't come toward them. At least, not until the battles were over. Sarah turned her mind to other, more important things.  
  
The first battle of the day was Link against Zelda, in a 12 stock battle. Master Hand had briefly explained to her how those worked, what with getting the Smashers back onto the stage right away, but the information had gone in one ear and out the other. Sarah moved along the metal walkway until she was above the Fountain of Dreams, and set up her post. People poured into the stadium, chattering and laughing and sounding excited in general. Sarah thought she could see some of her school friends from her position, but wasn't sure.  
  
After a while, the announcer's voice, which was none other than Master Hand, sounded over the loudspeaker. "Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome today's first combatants, Link and Zelda!" There was a huge cheer throughout the crowd as two funnels of light transported the aforementioned Smashers onto the stage. Sarah caught Link smile at Zelda and wish her good luck as Master Hand described the particulars of the battle. Over the roar of the crowd, Sarah thought she could hear the faint rumble of thunder and grimaced.  
  
The battle began. Link moved toward the princess of his homeland and feinted right. Zelda fell for it, and got hit on her left before she could protect herself. From on the catwalk, Sarah could see the seven spheres glow breifly. Zelda recovered quickly and sent a ball of fire at Link, who dodged it. Sarah, enthralled in watching her two friends duke it out, missed the faint flickering of the lights as the summer storm approached.  
  
Scanning the crowd, Sarah found the rest of the Smashketeers sitting in a section off to the side of the stands. All of them were dressed as casually as Marth, although Roy appeared to be wearing his gold and blue headband. It was hard to tell from this distance. She started to wave, but remebered that they could not see her, so well was the catwalk hidden from the audience's collective eye. Sarah sighed and sat back. It was lonely up here.  
  
Suddenly, the lights flickered off completely, plunging the entire stadium into darkness. There was the tinkling sound of glass breaking in the silence that preluded the chaos, and a sharp, agonized scream was heard from the battle stage. Lightning flashed outside, and the lights flicked back on, revealing a macabre sight. Zelda slumped slowly to her knees, still crying out in agony, blood dripping from where Link's sword protruded out of her chest. Sarah's hands clutched the thin metal railings of the catwalk, turning her knuckles white, as she watched the sword tumble from Link's outstretched arm in utter horror.  
  
KT - DA: hehehe..... please don't kill me for leaving it there.  
  
Link: O.O How could you?! Zelda! Nooooo!  
  
Roy: I....I can't believe it...  
  
Marth: Oh, Milady...  
  
Kudo Sorano: Pssh. I knew this would happen.  
  
KT - DA: well, tell me what you think! 


	8. Depression and Confession

KT - DA: I'm back again!  
  
Link: hoo-rah.  
  
KT - DA: What? what's wrong?  
  
Marth: He's still upset over what happened to Zelda.  
  
Roy: yeah, so am I. Is she gonna be okay?  
  
KT - DA: hehehe.... maaaaaybeeeee......  
  
Link: Gah! If she dies... I'll... I'll... make you sorry!  
  
KT - DA: right. okay! Roy! Do the stuff!  
  
Roy: Fine, but only so you tell us what happens to Zelda. Kuroi Tenshi - Dark Angel doesn't own SSBM or any of its characters. She does own Sarah Holly.  
  
KT - DA: good. Marth?  
  
Marth: Yes, Milady. Kuroi Tenshi - Dark Angel would love to hear what you think about her story. Please review.  
  
KT - DA: Great. On with the chapter!

* * *

Getting Over Our Troubles - Depression and Confession  
  
Sarah Holly didn't even notice the shocked roar of the crowd as she scrambled down from the narrow catwalk to the stage below. Roy, Marth and Mario beat her to the two combatants, calling out to Link. From the ladder, Sarah could see Link's face drain of blood. His whole bood looked like it was going to shake apart as he dropped the Master Sword's hilt. Strange sounds came from his throat, and he slumped to his knees in shock.  
  
Sarah became aware of Master Hand's voice telling the spectators to evacuate the building over the loudspeaker. The rest of the Smashers had appeared on the stage, each one positively reeking of fear and concern. Sarah quickly climbed down the rest of the ladder and approached the fallen princess. Marth was holding her unconscious body while Dr. Mario worked to get the sword out as gently as possible.  
  
Roy was trying to get Link to stand up. Sarah joined him, knowing that she would only get in the way if she were to try to help Zelda. "Come on, Link, you're not helping yourself here," Roy pleaded, pulling on the Hero's arm. It was an act in futility. Sarah reached down and grabbed Link's other arm, not caring that she flinched horribly, and helped Roy pull him to his feet. She and Roy half led, half drug the Hero off the stage and into the teleporter.  
  
Marth arrived shortly after, carrying Zelda still, and followed closely by Dr. Mario. His face was blank. Sarah found herself staring into a deep blue ocean, completely devoid of any emotion. It scared her so much that she had an unspeakable urge to hold him tight and tell him everything was going to be okay.  
  
"Please hurry, Marth! You must get her to the hospital wing before she bleeds to death!" Dr. Mario cried, jumping up and down with worry. Marth obeyed, mechanical and expressionless. Sarah watched him go.  
  
Mario rushed up to them and grabbed Link. "Link! Snap out of it! Don't you see you've got to help her?" Roy pushed the plumber away forcefully. "Leave him alone, Mario. You don't always know best."  
  
"Link... come on, Link. I think you need some rest," Sarah said gently. She was starting to get a headache from her fear. She managed to push aside her twitchiness for her friend, but she didn't know how much longer she would be able to stand it before she screamed. Roy noticed her discomfort and pushed Link along towards the dorms. He knew that Sarah didn't like men touching her, but didn't know why. He supposed it was her business.  
  
"Why don't you go on and see if you can help with Zelda. I can take him from here," he said, tilting his head toward Link. Sarah nodded and moved off to the hospital wing.  
  
In the hospital wing, things looked bad. Marth had deposited the unconscious princess onto one of the beds, and was now standing back against the far wall. The Master Sword had finally been removed, and had been tossed carelessly onto another bed, blood staining the silver metal of the blade. Dr. Mario was busily hooking Zelda up to all sorts of complicated machines, while Peach stood by the bed, trying desperately to do something for her best friend. Sarah swallowed the sob that rose in her throat.  
  
Someone placed a hand on her shoulder, startling her. Seeing that it was Master Hand, she turned to face him, shaking the hand off as casually as she could. "I need you to go see what happened on the stage. I think the lightning did something, but I'm not sure. Those spheres have a power back up that shouldn't ever allow injuries like this," he said. Sarah noticed that he looked frightened. Sarah nodded, unable to speak, and made her way back to the stage. As she left, she heard Master Hand say, "Go with her, Marth. I have a funny feeling about this." The sound of the sad swordsman's footsteps quickly followed her.  
  
Sarah entered the stage with Marth in tow. She glanced back at him over her shoulder, feeling tears beginning to form in her eyes. She was scared for Zelda, and for Marth's mental state. Things were getting out of her control. Marth approached her, and she watched as his expression changed from emotionless to concerned. Brushing her tears away angrily, Sarah turned back to the stage inspection.  
  
It was Marth who found the broken sphere. The broken shards were scattered from the point of impact directly under the metal ring suspended from the catwalk. Looking up, Sarah could see the empty spot on the ring. She panicked. Everything was so wrong. Her best friend was going to die, and it was all her fault. Link was going to feel like HE had killed her, and it was all her fault. The Smashketeers were going to break apart, and it was all her fault. The Smash Tournament would be shut down, and it was all her fault. It was all her fault. It was all her fault. The words kept ringing through her head, haunting her, until she screamed her sorrow. Everything was her fault.  
  
Sarah felt a pair of arms go around her as the tears flowed from her eyes. Shaking with fear and sorrow, she struggled against Marth, but he wouldn't let her go. She screamed at him, hit him, kicked him, and still he would not let her go. Finally, exhausted after her efforts, she collapsed against him and cried her tears out. Marth ran his hand through her hair, soothing her, and held her with the other.  
  
Gulping, Sarah looked up into his eyes. His concern for her was unmistakable.  
"Milady, it will be alright. You shouldn't dirty your beautiful face with tears. They are unbecoming of you," Marth said, brushing her tears away. It was wasted effort, as more of them spilled down to take their place.  
  
Sarah's voice was shaky. "I... it's all.... me... I did this, all of it," she whispered.  
Marth looked surprised. "How can you say that? How can this possibly be your fault, Milady?" He asked. Sarah felt his arms go tighter. She didn't mind. She was too tired to protest anyway.  
"I set the spheres... this afternoon.... didn't do them properly....thought I had...." she said, hiccuping as she spoke.  
  
Marth looked down at her. "You? Milady, I've seen you work on the Item traps. You always make sure that they're set perfectly. There's no way you'd let yourself make a mistake on the spheres."  
  
Sarah shook her head. "You don't know that, Marth. It's all my fault."  
"Sarah! Milady, I don't think-" Marth started, but Sarah cut him off.  
"Shut up! Let go of me!" She pushed him away, surprising him into letting go. "I killed her with my ignorance! I'm always the one who lets trouble occur! I even let that bastard rape me!" Sarah screamed at Marth. Gasping with anger and fear, she crumpled to the ground and sobbed harder than ever.  
  
Marth stood in shock for a moment. It was so simple. She didn't like men touching her. It reminded her of being raped. He felt horrible pity for her, and knelt beside her, stroking her hair as she cried.  
  
"Oh, Milady....Sarah," He whispered. Sarah let him touch her, let herself slip into sleep, let herself fall into her own mental trap. She dreamt of falling glass spheres, red-bladed swords, and impossibly deep blue eyes.

* * *

KT - DA: Okay, I'm really pretty proud of this one, even though I didn't intend to leave it there.  
  
Roy: Aw man, I'm stuck taking care of Link?  
  
Link: Don't blame me. SHE'S the one who started this whole thing. /points to KT - DA/  
  
Marth: I thought it was very good, Milady.  
  
Roy: Oh, you only think that because you were in it the most.  
  
KT - DA: Right, well, please review everyone! 


	9. And He Worried So

**KT – DA: Hello! I'm here! I'm actually here!**

**Roy: No… way…**

**Link: Great. Just great. You leave us alone for AGES, trying to figure out what happens next, and you come back all hyper. WHERE have you been?**

**KT – DA: I have been… um… at school?**

**Marth: Milady… surely you had some time in there that you could have been writing?**

**KT – DA: well… I had to save Hyrule! And beat Fire Emblem! Isn't that stuff important?**

**Link: It would have been, if you had actually saved Hyrule, and actually beaten Fire Emblem.**

**Roy: yeah, I know for a fact, you're still stuck on that one chapter in Fire Emblem.**

**KT – DA: okay, okay, I'm sorry. Look! I've got another chapter for you! Roy, do the stuff!**

**Roy: Kuroi Tenshi – Dark Angel does not own SSBM or any of its characters. She does own Sarah Holly. I think you know this by now.**

**Link: We want to thank all of you for hanging in there, and for all your reviews.**

**Marth: Can we have the chapter now, Milady?**

**KT – DA: Absolutely!**

* * *

**Getting Over Our Troubles – And He Worried So…**

Sarah Holly opened her eyes slowly, and then shut them quickly against the harsh lights. She heard cloth rustling next to her, and turned her head towards the sound. Opening her eyes again, she saw Marth slumped in a chair next to her bed, asleep. Pushing the covers away, she pushed herself up onto her elbows.

"Marth?" Sarah called softly.  
Marth snapped awake and looked at her. "Oh! Milady… Sarah, are you alright?"   
Sarah swallowed. "I think so. What happened?" 

"You fainted. I brought you up here. You've been asleep for a long time."

Sarah shivered, remembering her dreams. They weren't pleasant. "Marth? How… is Zelda alright?" Her voice was weak, a clear sign that tears were near.

Marth bit his lip. "I honestly don't know, Milady. I haven't been to see her since… since I brought you up here." Sarah was surprised to see his cheeks redden slightly.

"What? Why?"

Marth looked at her again. "I was worried about you. I should have gone to see Zelda, I know, but… but I couldn't leave you."

Sarah shifted uncomfortably under the covers. He had stayed with her this whole time? Hadn't he said she'd been asleep a long time? How long, she wondered.

"What did I say to you… down on the stage?" she asked hesitantly.

Marth didn't say anything for a moment, then he took a deep breath. "You said that it was all your fault, that you thought you had set the spheres wrong. You told me… that you were raped." Everything about him told Sarah that he was truly upset, from his eyes to his voice. She opened her mouth to reply, when a knock came on the door.

"Ah… who is it?" Sarah called.

"It's Roy. Can I come in?"

Sarah said yes, and Roy entered quietly. He nodded at Marth and sat down next to the bed.

"How are you doing? We all saw Marth carry you up here, but he was glaring daggers at anyone who even looked like they were coming close."

Sarah gave him a small smile. "I'm okay. I'm just a little tired, that's all. How is Zelda?"

Roy sighed. "She'll live; Dr. Mario has assured us multiple times. She's sleeping now. She won't be able to get up for a while, though. No more battles for her this tournament."

"What about Link?" Marth spoke up.

"He's in our room, just staring out the window. I just went in to visit him and told him about Zelda. He didn't respond." Roy said, his brow furrowed in worry. "I think someone needs to watch him for a while."

Sarah took a deep breath, and then lay back on the bed. She told herself that it wasn't her fault, but there was still a dark whisper in the back of her head telling her it was. "Thank you for telling us, Roy. I think you're right about Link."

Roy nodded. "I'm going back to talk to Master Hand again, and then I'll go to Link. You just rest here for a while." He looked at Marth as he moved to the door, but didn't say anything. Marth stared at the door for a while after it had closed behind his friend, then turned his gaze back to Sarah.

Sarah sighed lightly and closed her eyes.

"If you want me to leave, I will Milady," Marth's voice came quietly.

Sarah looked at him. "Oh, no I don't want you to leave. I'm just tired. I should really get up." She avoided actually looking into his eyes, almost afraid of what she would find there.

A sad smile appeared on Marth's lips. "I see. I will wait for you outside." He got up and left the room. Silence descended on Sarah, though she could hear Marth settle against the wall just outside. Taking another deep breath, she swung her legs over the side of the bed and stood. She changed out of her rumpled clothes quickly and brushed her hair into place.

Marth looked up as she stepped into the hallway and smiled at her. "I wasn't sure if you would come out or not," he said, relief evident in his voice. Sarah smiled back at him, and they went downstairs together.

The scene that met them was slight chaos. Everyone seemed to be running some urgent errand or other, shouting questions and commands back and forth over the noise. Samus, seeing Sarah and Marth, came over.

"Sarah, I'm glad you're up. Master Hand wants to talk to you. He's in his office, making calls and such."

Sarah nodded. "Alright. I'll see you later, then." She turned and started down the stairs. She heard Samus tell Marth to come help her with something, but ignored it.

Master Hand was indeed on the phone when Sarah entered his office. He waved at her to sit down as he completed the conversation and hung up.

"Are you feeling alright? Someone told me that you had fainted," he said.

Sarah nodded. "Yes, I did, but I'm much better now. Samus said you wanted to see me, so I came."

"Yes, yes. I wanted to know what you saw on the stage."

"A sphere was broken. It fell from the ring under the catwalk."

"Do you know how it happened?"

"I don't know. It looks like it just fell, but I didn't get a very good look at it. I thought at first that it was my fault, that I hadn't screwed it in tightly enough, but…"

"You're not sure." Master Hand put his elbows on his desk and propped his head on his hands. "I'm almost positive that this is not your fault. Somehow, I can tell that this wasn't a mechanical accident."

A look of surprise crossed Sarah's face. "You can? What do you mean?"

Master Hand sighed. "No one has seen Ganondorf all day."

Sarah gasped lightly. "You mean… you think HE did something…?"

"I have no proof, just a suspicion. After all, he DID call in sick today. Calling in sick does not make one guilty of vandalism, or attempted murder, however you want to look at it," Master Hand said.

Sarah thought she saw a look of disgust on her employer's face. "You want it to be him, don't you? You want proof."

Master Hand smiled. "You are a bright girl, Sarah. That is exactly what I want. I have been looking for an excuse to boot him out of the tournament for a long time, and this might be it. All I lack is the proof."

"So… you want me to…" Sarah thought out loud.

"Yes, that is where you come in. I want you to figure out how this happened. I don't really care if it turns out to be Ganon or not, but I do need to have an explanation for the press," Master Hand said.

Sarah bit her lip. "Okay. I think I can do that. I'll have to close off the stage, though. No more battles there until I've finished looking at everything." It might already be too late, she thought to herself. There had been plenty of time between when she and Marth had been down there and now for someone to go in and clean up any evidence. Still thinking about this, she bid Master Hand goodbye and headed back to the common room.

* * *

**KT – DA: well, okay, it's not a great ending place, but it works.**

**Link: So… I'm in a state of catatonia? What's that all about?**

**Roy: I don't get the title.**

**KT – DA: You wouldn't.**

**Marth: Please review!**


	10. So Much for a Friend to Do

**KT – DA: Hello everyone! It's another update, on time!**

**Roy: yay-rah.**

**Link: Inform the press.**

**KT – DA: Oh, you two are so mean. Where's Marth?**

**Roy: um… I think he had to take care of something. He couldn't make it today.**

**KT – DA: WHAT?!? Awww….**

**Roy: um… should I just do the stuff?**

**KT – DA: /nods, crying/**

**Roy: Right. Kuroi Tenshi – Dark Angel does not own SSBM or any of its characters.**

**Link: We would like to thank Zeldagurli, Daikonran, and OddLuvr4251 for their reviews.**

**KT – DA: /wipes eyes/ alright, here's the chapter.**

**Getting Over Our Troubles – So Much for a Friend to Do**

Sarah Holly hadn't seen any of her friends since parting with Marth that morning, so she was glad to see Peach walk into the kitchen. Peach looked about as tired as Sarah felt. She came over to the small table behind Sarah and sat down.

"Hi Peach. Have you been with Zelda all this time?" Sarah asked, bringing a cup of tea over for each of them and sitting down.

Peach nodded. "She's still sleeping. Dr. Mario said that she's lucky only one of those spheres broke. Something about how the rest of them still siphoned off a lot of her pain. I don't know. I didn't really understand it."

Sarah sighed. "I've wanted to go see her, but people keep handing me tasks and labeling them as 'urgent.' Fox finally shoved me in here and told me to make something resembling dinner."

"I see. Then you're probably as exhausted as you look," Peach said with a smile.

Sarah smiled and brushed a strand of hair behind her ear. "Do you know where Marth is? Or Roy?" she added as an afterthought, blushing lightly.

Peach apparently noticed the blush, and smiled. "Worried about Marth? Or is 'pining' a better word here?"

"Oh, stop it! Can't I just inquire about a friend? He looked after me when I wasn't feeling well this morning, so I wanted…" Sarah's voice trailed off as she realized that Peach wasn't listening to a word she was saying.

"You're falling in love with him," Peach said with a grin.

Sarah was indignant. "I'm not falling in love with him! He's just a friend! Besides, you know I don't like men touching me."

Peach shook her head. "You don't have to touch him to love him. Anyway, I saw him helping Samus and Fox with some crowd cleanup stuff. You know, ushering the stragglers off the grounds and such." She finished the last of her tea in one gulp, and then stood, smiling, and moved to the door. "I think you should go for him, Sarah. I think he needs you."

Sarah muttered to herself about Peach's crazy notions as she busied about, finishing dinner. She wasn't in love with Marth. She couldn't possibly be! It was a silly, hopeful idea on Peach's part at best, she thought.

"She just likes to gossip too much," she spoke aloud.

Unfortunately, the little voice in the back of her head was starting to tell her that she needed the sad prince as much as Peach suggested he needed her.

The Smashers filtered into the dining hall, weary and hungry. The children, Nana in tears, shuffled over to their usual table. Peach and Marth appeared soon after, plopping down at their table heavily. Sarah wiped her hands on her jeans, leaving smears of flour and sweat, before walking out of the kitchen to join them.

"So? Any news since this afternoon, Peach?" Sarah asked.

Peach shook her head. "She probably won't have any change for a little while. Dr. Mario says that she'll need to sleep a lot in order to heal properly."

Sarah propped her chin on her fist and stifled a yawn. "Has anyone seen Roy or Link?"

"I just stopped in our room a few minutes ago. They're both there. Link still isn't moving or saying anything. Poor Roy is going to have a permanent line on his forehead if this doesn't clear up soon," Marth said with an unhappy smile.

Sarah returned his smile. "I'll go visit them after dinner. Do you think I could get either of you to help me clear dishes so I can go sooner?"

Marth nodded. "I'll help you, Milady. Am I correct in assuming that you are going to see Zelda again, Peach?"

"Yes, absolutely. I know she won't respond or anything, but…" Peach bit her bottom lip in an obvious attempt to stop her tears.

Sarah put her hand on her friend's arm. "It's okay to cry, Peach. She's your best friend, and you're worried about her. We all are."

Peach nodded wordlessly and wiped her eyes on the back of her hand.

By this time, the rest of the crowd had started to leave, creating a pile of dirty dishes by the kitchen. Sarah stood up, gathering up Peach's and Marth's plates as well and moved toward the kitchen. She was halfway there when she noticed that Marth was following her.

Link was kneeling on his bed, his eyes directed at the window, but not really seeing anything. Roy looked up from his book as Sarah and Marth entered the room.

Sarah looked at her catatonic friend, stared at the one who stared at nothing. "I take it he's been like this the whole time?"

"Yeah," Roy said. His voice sounded more like a sigh to Sarah than words.

Marth moved over to the bed and looked the Hero of Time in the eye. "Come on, Link. You've got to wake up. Wake up for Milady Zelda…"

"I've already tried mentioning Zelda to him, Marth. It doesn't do anything," Roy said.

Sarah bit her lip, then moved over to sit next to Roy on his bed, drawing her knees up to her chest. "I think he needs to see that Zelda is okay. I think he feels like he's killed her, and he hasn't."

"Are you suggesting we take him to the hospital wing? It doesn't look like he's seeing anything at all. Why would he see her?" Roy asked.

"I didn't say to do it now," Sarah replied. "Besides, right now she probably doesn't look very healthy. Also, what would it hurt to try? The most that happens if it doesn't work is that he stays like this a little longer."

Marth stood up and walked over to join Roy and Sarah, pulling a chair over. He sat with his head down, hair falling around his face. Sarah could tell that he was hiding from something, but didn't say anything. Whatever it was, she wouldn't bring it up around Roy.

"It's getting late. You should go to bed, Sarah," Roy said quietly.

Sarah sighed. "You're probably right. It's been a long day."

The three friends stood and moved toward the door. Marth offered to walk Sarah back to her room, an offer which Sarah accepted.

Roy turned to her before she was out the door. "I'd hug you goodnight, but I know you don't like that. I'll just wish you a good sleep, and hope you don't have nightmares. I sure as hell know I will."

Sarah smiled. "Thank you, Roy. You are honestly one of the best friends I have ever had." She nodded her head to him once and left, Marth trailing.

Sarah was about to close her bedroom door when Marth put his hand on her shoulder, holding her back. Surprised, she turned back to face him.

"Is something wrong?"

Marth swallowed. "Can I talk to you for a while, Milady? I think I need to tell you something."

Sarah looked at him for a moment. The sadness she had seen in his eyes the very first time they met was back, stronger than ever. It scared her. "Sure, you can come in."

Marth closed the door behind him.

**KT – DA: Well, there's an odd place to end a chapter, but it works**

**Roy: huh… Marth isn't going to do something… inappropriate… with Sarah, is he?**

**KT – DA: Roy, you have a sick mind. No, he's not.**

**Link: What's going to happen?**

**KT – DA: well, I'm pretty sure that next chapter we'll hear about Marth's story…**

**Marth: /head pops around corner/ me?**

**KT – DA: /squeals/**

**Link: Please review!**


	11. The Ruin of Altea

**KT – DA: Yay! Another chapter done on time!**

**Marth: Milady, are you going to keep this up?**

**Roy: yeah, you were pretty enthusiastic about this when you first started, but then you left us for all that time…**

**Link: Twice!**

**KT – DA: well, I can't promise anything, but I DO know how the story ends now! That's a good thing!**

**Marth: That's wonderful!**

**KT – DA: Okay, Roy, do the stuff so I can post this one and move on to the next!**

**Roy: Alright! Kuroi Tenshi – Dark Angel doesn't own SSBM at all. Nada. Zippo. Nothing.**

**KT – DA: I do have dreams where I own Marth, though…**

**Link: We don't want to hear about them. We DO want to thank everyone for reviewing.**

**Marth: Milady would also like to inform her readers that she doesn't actually know anything about my background story, and so this just came out of her head.**

**KT – DA: here's the chapter!**

**Getting Over Our Troubles – The Ruin of Altea**

Sarah Holly was a little nervous to have Marth in her room, but she was curious about what he wanted to say. Besides, she told herself, the prince was her friend. Surely he was trustworthy. Keeping that thought in her head, she called Marth over to sit with her.

Marth knelt facing Sarah on the bed, hands clasped in his lap. "I have never told anyone else about this. I… don't like talking about it."

"Then why are you telling me?" Sarah asked.

The prince hesitated. "Milady, I'm not really sure. Something about you just makes me want to tell you about it." He looked away, staring out the window. "You told me you dark secret."

Sarah blushed. "I was upset then. I would appreciate it if you kept that 'dark secret' to yourself."

"I never planned to do otherwise, Milady."

Sarah could see some emotion in his eyes as he looked at her, but she couldn't tell what it was. "Are you okay, Marth?"

Marth gave her a sad smile. "I'm going to tell you about Altea.

Sarah held her breath.

"I was the oldest son of the king of Altea. I had two younger brothers, a younger sister, and an older sister. I loved them all, and my mother and father, very much. Altea was a beautiful, prosperous kingdom. My father did a good job keeping the peace.

"But one day, the kingdom of Bern declared war on Altea. They had no real reason to do so, and I don't remember their made up excuse. We had to rush to put together an army, since my father had disbanded the old one.

"Father put me in charge of a unit of men and ordered me to defend our borders. We arrived too late. Bern had already raided and burned our farms to ashes. The people had been enslaved, taken back to Bern to be sold. Those that remained free looked at us as villains. They blamed the royal family for not protecting them.

"Things just got worse from there. Bern pushed easily into our capitol, until they reached the palace. They burned our people's homes as they came. When they caught my family, I was out with the army. We heard a clanging from the top tower, and the fighting stopped. Bern's general had my family there, all tied up and dressed in rags. The people called them traitors and begged for them to be hung. Bern acquiesced to their request. I couldn't do anything but watch them murder my whole family. That was my sixteenth birthday.

"The few men still alive in my unit were loyal to me, and they helped me escape the city. I sent one of them back to see if anyone else would take my part. When he returned to our hiding place, he informed me that my people had indeed turned on me. I had been sentenced with death if I ever set foot in Altea again. My people exiled me from my own home in favor of the Bernese usurper.

"In the escape over the borders, the rest of my men were killed. I wandered, taking help from those strangers who were kind enough to offer it. I had no friends. When I finally found myself at Smash Mansion, I signed up for the tournament. I had nothing better to do, you see."

Marth fell silent and stared out the window.

Sarah was speechless. She had assumed that Marth's story would be bad, but this was horrible. The prince had been forced to watch his family die, then had his people, title, and home stripped from him. His people had betrayed him, thinking that he had left them to be defeated. It was enough to drive anyone insane, and Marth had only been sixteen when it happened.

Sarah realized that her mouth was open in a silent gasp and closed it. "Marth… Marth, I'm so sorry."

The prince turned to look at her, blinking rapidly. "They were right to exile me. I could have been to the border farms faster." His voice cracked as he spoke.

"Oh, no Marth. Don't you dare blame yourself for the whole thing. You said so yourself, Bern attacked you with no cause!" Sarah cried, appalled that he would even think of accusing himself.

Marth stared. "Milady… you actually thing that?"

"Marth, terrible things happened to everyone, not the least of which was you. The ones who did those things were the Bernese invaders, not you, not your family, not even you people. The invaders presented you people with a crumples, smashed, broken image of your family as a scapegoat, and they took it," Sarah said, trying to sound calm and soothing.

Marth shook his head. "Sarah, I left them defenseless-"

"You did not!" Sarah did not realize that she was shouting. "Marth, saying that your country's fall was your doing is like… it's just like me saying that being raped was my fault!"

A look of shock appeared on the prince's face. "Milady…"

"You told me, on the stage after Zelda was hurt, that the broken sphere wasn't my fault. I was so upset then that I started thinking that _everything_ was my fault, even the rape, but you told me it wasn't. Maybe I only dreamed that you did, but it was you, whichever way." Sarah found that she was breathing hard.

Marth wiped his eyes and looked at Sarah with wonder. Neither said anything for a long time, letting the silence blanket the room. Sarah glanced at the clock on her bedside table. 1:06 in the morning. She looked back at Marth.

"Will you tell me about it?"

Sarah nodded in answer to the prince's question.

**KT – DA: What-hey! Good, no? Okay, I realize that it's crap, but just go with it.**

**Roy: Ooh! I get it! The title refers to Marth, right?**

**Marth: um…**

**Link: /rolls eyes/**

**KT – DA: well… sort of… but I wasn't really looking into it that… um… poetically.**

**Marth: I think that she meant the war that, you know, ruined Altea.**

**Roy: /sticks out tongue/**

**KT – DA: please review!**


	12. Trust

**KT – DA: Here we are, once again. Another chapter for all my loving fans!**

**Marth: Milady, did you spend all of your schooltime writing this chapter?**

**KT – DA: ah… well, not ALL of it…**

**Roy: Aw, man! /throws gameboy against wall/**

**Link: Lose Fire Emblem again, Roy?**

**Roy: /growls/**

**KT – DA: Roy, I need you to do the stuff. Now.**

**Roy: Wha? Oh, oh yeah, right. Okay. Kuroi Tenshi – Dark Angel does not own SSBM or any of its characters.**

**KT – DA: I'm still working on owning Marth, though. For some reason, Nintendo keeps sending my letters of request back…**

**Link: right… we like reviews. Give them to us. Now.**

**Marth: Here's the chapter!**

**

* * *

Getting Over Out Troubles - Trust**

Sarah Holly leaned back against the headboard of her bed and closed her eyes. She forced her thoughts into a black chamber in the back of her mind, calming herself. She couldn't let herself dwell on them for long or she would lock up, freeze in place.

Slowly, Sarah let the memories return, let them come out of the chamber one by one. She kept an iron hold on her emotions, not allowing herself to panic upon remembering. Once they were all out, she took a deep breath. She was about to do something she had never done completely.

She was going to talk about the rape.

She opened her eyes to see Marth looking at her, concern just beginning to appear in his eyes.

"When I was thirteen, my family lived in an apartment. Mom and Daddy both worked, and they usually got home late. My brother got a job, since he was older than me, but he usually only worked for a few hours during the day.

"One night, my brother was asked to work the night shift, and I was staying at home alone. I'd stayed alone before, so I wasn't worried. I just put something in the oven for dinner and went to watch television. I didn't hear the window break in my parent's bedroom.

"The man snuck up behind me and grabbed me. I started to scream, but he just stuffed something in my mouth. Once I realized what he meant to do, I started kicking at him. He'd tied my hands over my head to a bedpost. I hadn't even realized he'd been carrying me to another room until then. I fought him as hard as I could, but obviously he was much stronger than me.

"My brother came home and found me in the bedroom. He told me later that he knew something was wrong when he saw that my dinner was burning. The man was long gone by then, but I just couldn't make myself move from that spot. My brother called 911 and then my parents, then tried to clean me up a little, I wouldn't let him touch me. I couldn't.

"My parents arrived not two minutes after the ambulance. They were very angry when the emergency crew wouldn't let them come in the ambulance with me. They said we wouldn't all fit.

"I don't really remember much after that. I know I was at the hospital for a while, and I remember that I wouldn't let the male doctors near me. I think I was fading in and out of consciousness the whole time.

"Once I was sufficiently recovered, I went back home. That was when I found out that I really could not stand having men touch me. Even Daddy and my brother can't touch me. I've finally managed to get my reaction down to nothing more than a little twitch, but it still bothers me so much."

Sarah realized that she was crying, but did nothing to stop her tears.

Marth said nothing for a long while. He looked out the window for a long moment, then back at her. "Does it make you nervous to be alone in here with me, Milady?"

Sarah looked up at him slowly. "No. Not you. Maybe Roy or Link, or any other guy, but not you. You're my best friend. I trust you."

"I'm your best friend?" The prince looked surprised.

"Yes. You're the only one who never asked me about it. Even Roy asked once, and even though I know it was out of concern for me, it still bothered me," Sarah brushed a tear away.

Marth shifted positions a little on the bed. "Then you think we have a good enough relationship for me to know about it? You haven't told many people about this, have you?"

"No, Marth, I haven't. It's just like you and Altea; I don't like to talk about it," Sarah replied. She wiped at her eyes more fiercely, but the tears didn't stop.

Marth bit his lip. "I… appreciate you telling me, Milady."

"Oh! Stop calling me that! Especially after I've told you…"

Marth slipped his hand under her chin and turned her head toward him gently. "No, Milady. I will continue calling you so. The fact that you managed to find a way to live after experiencing something so heinous makes you even more of a lady to me."

Sarah gulped back a sob. "Marth… you… your hand…"

The prince removed the hand quickly, looking ashamed of himself. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to-"

"No, that's not what I meant." Sarah said quickly. "It didn't bother me at all…"

Marth's eyes widened slightly. Sarah wiped her eyes on her sleeve, then held out a hand to the prince. Marth looked at her questioningly for a moment. He took her hand lightly into his. Nothing happened.

"Sarah…" Marth trailed off right away.

Sarah remembered something. "You held me. Before I fainted on the stage, you held me. I didn't want you to at the time, but… it didn't scare me then. It didn't make me remember like it does with other men. You never make me remember."

Marth still held her hand in his as he leaned forward to kiss her lightly on the lips.

**Marth: /blushes madly/**

**Roy: whoo! Marth's getting' it on!**

**KT – DA: Oh, it was only a little kiss. Calm down.**

**Link: Heh… it was still a kiss. And why are you putting Marth in a romance story with someone other than you?**

**KT – DA: Because nobody likes reading self-insertions, and because Marth's so darn romantic. Okay, maybe only in my mind… but…**

**Link: Whatever.**

**Marth: /stunned/ I…. I… kissed…I…**

**KT – DA: Please review!**


	13. A Troubled Breakfast

**KT – DA: Woot, it's another chapter!**

**Roy: Um… Kuroi? Isn't that that weird girl who wanted me the last time she was here?**

**KT – DA: Oh! Yes, that's Kudo Sorano, but she's changed her name to Karanos now. She helped me with the ideas for this chapter.**

**Karanos: Hello Roy**

**Roy: he…he… hello…**

**Marth: Milady, is this chapter anything like the last one?**

**Link: Oh, you just want to kiss Sarah again.**

**Marth: No I don't! I…**

**Link: Shut up, Marth. You're a horrible liar.**

**KT – DA: I'm not telling you. You'll have to read it yourself. Roy!**

**Roy: Yes? /stops running from Karanos/**

**KT – DA: Do the stuff.**

**Roy: But I-**

**KT – DA: I don't care what she's doing to you. Now!**

**Roy: Okay, okay. Nazi.**

**KT – DA: What did you just call me?!**

**Roy: Kuroi Tenshi – Dark Angel does not own SSBM or any of its characters. /resumes running/**

**Link: Thanks to everyone who reviewed. We have over 40 reviews now!**

**KT – DA: Very true. Now, on to the chapter!**

**

* * *

Getting Over Our Troubles – A Troubled Breakfast**

Sarah Holly knew she was awake, but she didn't want to be. She wanted to keep having the lovely dream that had ended upon her waking. She kept her eyes closed and tried to go back to sleep.

Just as she was drifting off, she felt something stir slightly at her side. Her eyes flew open and she turned her head quickly, only to bury her nose in Marth's blue hair. Gasping, she pulled away, realizing two things: she hadn't dreamed about Marth's kiss, it had really happened, and the prince was still holding her hand. Sarah was sure she blushed then.

Marth woke up, his blue eyes finding her brown ones quickly. A genuine smile appeared on his lips. Sarah couldn't help smiling back.

"Good morning, Milady. I trust you slept well?"

Sarah nodded.

"Good. I'm glad." He rested his forehead against hers and closed his eyes. A moment later, he spoke again.

"I'm glad I told you about Altea, and I like it very much that you trusted me enough to tell me about your past."

Sarah sighed lightly. "Likewise, Marth." She wanted him to kiss her again.

The prince sat up, brushing his bangs out of his eyes. Sarah pushed herself up as well, and, after careful consideration, laid her head on his shoulder.

Marth lifted her chin so he could look at her better. "Sarah, I lo-"

A knock came at the door.

"Sarah? Are you in there?" It was Samus, her voice muffled by the door and probably her helmet as well. Marth blushed lightly. Sarah realized what it would mean if they were found in here together. She cleared her throat before answering.

"Uh, y-yes, I'm here."

Samus spoke again, sounding slightly annoyed. "The cook ran off when he heard about Zelda. Everyone says they want you to make something for breakfast proto."

"Oh. Okay, I'll be down in a minute," Sarah said.

"Also," Samus continued, "have you seen Marth? He wasn't downstairs with the others."

Sarah carefully didn't look at Marth, though she could see his blush deepen out of the corner of her eye. "I'll, um, keep an eye out for him."

"Fine. I'll go down and tell the others. No doubt they'll be ecstatic about it," Samus said monotonously.

When she realized she'd been holding her breath, Sarah exhaled. Once Samus was gone, Marth relaxed visibly as well.

"Well, that was exciting," the prince said.

Sarah nodded as she stood up. She figured she was presentable enough, seeing as she'd falling asleep in her clothes. She ran her brush through her hair quickly, then turned to look at her prince. She smiled, a little embarrassed to think of him as such, but she couldn't help herself; it seemed right.

Marth had moved to the edge of the bed and was running a hand through his hair. "I guess I'll walk you down to the kitchen." He stood and held his arm out. "Milady?"

Sarah took his arm, and they left the room together.

Marth left her in the kitchen with a smile and a kill. Sighing happily, Sarah turned to the cabinets and began rifling through them to find an omelette skillet.

There was a small noise behind her, and she turned to find Samus standing in the doorway. Sarah set the skillet on the stove and waved the bounty hunter inside.

"Is something wrong?" she asked.

Samus shook her helmeted head. "No. I was just… I just wanted to ask you a favor. I've noticed that Peach is allowing herself to become depressed over Zelda. I thought these might cheer her up."

Samus held out a small box, which Sarah took and opened.

"Oh! What lovely mushrooms! That's perfect! I can put them with her breakfast. Thank you Samus. This was very thoughtful of you," Sarah said with a warm smile. Samus simply nodded before turning abruptly and leaving. Sarah didn't mind, and went back to preparing breakfast, humming a little and daydreaming about her prince.

Sarah set out her omelettes and called everyone from the common room. Apparently high-stress situations leave people hungry, she thought as she watched the clamor to get at the food. Sarah kept one plate apart from the others and made her wat to the table with it.

When she got there, only Marth was there to greet her.

"Where's Peach?" Sarah asked.

Marth sighed. "She's in the hospital wing, staying with Zelda. Apparently, she's been there all morning, and she stayed there all night." He picked up his fork and pulled his plate closer. "She's really worried about her."

Sarah nodded. "I know. Here," she set her own plate down next to Marth's. "I'm going to take this to her. She can't go without food."

Peach was sitting beside Zelda's bed when Sarah entered. Sarah walked over and looked at her injured friend for the first time since the accident. She didn't like what she saw. Shaking her head, she turned to Peach.

"Peach, I know you're worried about her, but you're not doing anything for her by sitting here. Come back to the dining hall and talk with Marth and me, then we'll go up and see how Roy and Link are doing." Sarah did her best to sound comforting.

Peach sighed. "I know I'm not doing anything, but…"

"Look," Sarah said. "Samus was worried about you, and thought this might cheer you up." She held out the plate she brought along.

Peach took the plate. "She did? I didn't think she would worry about me. Oh, mushrooms!"

"Come on back with me. You can eat that on the way. I promise nothing will happen to Zelda," said Sarah.

Peach smiled faintly at her and took a bite as they started down the hallway. "This is marvelous, as always, Sarah."

Sarah grinned and thanked her.

They met Roy and Link at the dining hall doorway. Roy was leading the still-catatonic Link by the hand, making sure he didn't run into anything.

"Roy!" Sarah called, making her friend look up. "Wow, Roy, we didn't expect to see you down here. We were going to come up to see you after breakfast."

Roy smiled, but Sarah could tell he was tired. Knowing him, he'd probably stayed up all night looking after Link.

"Well, I heard you were making omelettes, so I thought I'd bring Link down with me," Roy said. The four of them walked into the room and joined Marth at the table. Roy sat Link down and went up to get his breakfast.

Peach sat her half-eaten omelette on the table. "I'm going to thank Samus for being so thoughtful. I'll be back." She walked off in the direction of Samus, and Sarah sat down to finally eat her now-cold omelette. Roy came back and the three of them started talking about Link.

"He stayed exactly the same all night. At least he'll walk when I lead him." Roy said.

Sarah glared at him. "I knew you'd stayed up all night! Did you sleep at all?"

"No, I didn't." Roy turned to Marth. "Did you? You never came to bed."

Marth blushed. "I slept."

Roy snorted. "Yeah? Where?"

"None of your business."

Sarah said nothing, and instead watched Peach's return trip to the table. This activity was cut short when the princess of the Mushroom Kingdom collapsed in a dead faint in the middle of the dining hall floor.

**

* * *

KT – DA: Well, how's that for suspense?**

**Karanos: Very good. You utilized my brilliance in such a way as to show my true literary genius. /crushes Roy's arm to her/**

**Roy: ow…**

**Marth: Milady, you don't have a homicidal streak in you, do you?**

**KT – DA: No! Why would you think that?**

**Link: Oh, I don't know, maybe the fact that you seem to keep attempting murder on your characters.**

**KT – DA: Oh, hush up, you.**

**Marth: Please send Milady a review!**


	14. Shouldering Responsibility

**KT – DA: Helloooooooo everyone!**

**Link: Oh my God! Head for the hills!**

**KT – DA: Ha, ha, very funny.**

**Marth: Milady, do we have a new chapter?**

**KT – DA: Yes.**

**Roy: /runs into room/ Help! She's insane! She won't leave me alone!**

**Karanos: Rooooy! Don't run from meeee! Oh! Hello everyone. Working on setting my brilliant literary genius to words?**

**KT – DA: Yes, thanks for collaborating with me again.**

**Karanos: Collaborating? Collaborating?! It was all me! My genius ideas! Mine! Bo-ha-ha-ha!**

**Roy: /edges away while she's not looking/**

**KT – DA: Roy! Do the stuff!**

**Roy: Gah! /gets pounced upon by Karanos/ right… Kuroi Tenshi – Dark Angel does not own SSBM or any of its characters.**

**Link: Thanks to everyone for reviewing!**

**KT – DA: The chapter cometh!**

**

* * *

Getting Over Out Troubles – Shouldering Responsibility**

Sarah Holly jumped to her feet, dropping her fork with a clatter. The grumble and chatter of people talking fell away a Peach hit the floor. Sarah, Marth, and Roy were at her side in a flash, Link sitting forgotten at the table.

Roy knelt at the fallen princess's side, shaking her shoulder. "Peach! Peach, wake up!" Peach didn't respond.

The Smashers were gathered around the small group with varied expressions of disbelief on their faces.

Sarah felt helpless for just a moment, but she shook it away and stepped forward to take charge of the situation. "Everyone, please clear the way. Roy, pick Peach up and take her to the hospital wing. Dr. Mario will see to her." Nobody moved, and Sarah grew angry. "Need I remind you that I am Master Hand's personal assistant? I hold authority over everyone in this room! Now move!"

Roy swung Peach into his arms and started for the now-clear path to the door. He hesitated and looked back at Sarah. "What about Link? I can't just leave him."

Sarah glanced at her catatonic friend. "Don't worry. Marth and I will take care of him."

Roy bit his lip, then nodded once and continued on to the hospital wing.

"Everyone else," Sarah said, turning back to the crowd of Smashers. "Go to your dormitories of the common room. I will talk to Master Hand. If we need anyone, we'll come get you."

As the crowd started filing out into the hallway, Sarah sighed and put her hand on her forehead. She didn't like where this was going. First Zelda, now Peach. Her first two friends at Smash Mansion were both in the hospital wing. Sure, Peach was probably only sick, but that didn't make Sarah feel any better.

Marth came up beside her, Link in tow. "It'll be okay, Sarah."

"Marth, would you be absolutely wonderful and gather up everyone's dishes for me? Just set them on the counter in the kitchen," Sarah said.

Marth nodded. "Yes, Milady. I will do that."

Sarah smiled at him, then left the dining hall. She was pulling her cell phone out of her pocket as she went.

"Peach is sick," she said when Master Hand answered.

"Sick? How sick?"

"Sick enough to faint away in the dining hall and not respond to Roy shaking her." Sarah passed the common room, ignoring the stared from the gathered Smashers.

Master Hand coughed. "That's pretty sick, I guess. Where is she now? Where are _you_ now?"

"She's in the hospital wing. I had Roy take her there." Her heels were pounding on the floor as she fast-walked through the halls. "I'm en rout to your office."

"Oh, you don't need to come here. Go to the hospital wing and see what you can do there," said Master Hand.

Sarah stopped walking. "Are you sure? I mean, you don't need me to take care of anything?"

Master Hand laughed. "Sarah, I think you're over-reacting. This isn't a huge problem like Zelda's accident."

"Well… okay, if you're sure."

"I'm sure."

Sarah sighed. "Well, goodbye then." She hung up the phone and started back to the hospital wing.

When she got there, Peach was awake. Roy turned and smiled at her as she entered.

"She woke up right after we got here. She says she feels okay." Sarah could tell he was excited. They walked over to where Peach was lying on a bed.

"I'm okay, really. I'll stay in my room while I get over this," the princess was telling Dr. Mario irritably.

Dr. Mario looked up at his patient curiously. "But don't you want proper care?"

Peach rolled her eyes. "What, and take attention away from Zelda? I think not. I'll just stay in bed for a few days."

"Well, someone has to look after you. You're obviously sick, and we don't know what you have yet," Dr. Mario said huffily.

"Fine, fine," Peach sighed. "Someone help me up."

Roy and Sarah both stepped forward and took hold of her arms. Peach seemed unable to make her legs support her weight, so the two of them didn't let go as they walked up to her room, Dr. Mario trailing.

Once the princess was in her bed, Dr. Mario turned to Roy. "I want you to stay in here and keep an eye on her."

Roy protested. "But what about Link? He's my charge, too."

"Marth and I will watch over him." Sarah said, looking up from where she knelt at Peach's side.

"Oh. Alright then," Roy said, sounding a little disappointed.

Dr. Mario bustled around, making a few last adjustments until Peach screamed at him to get out. Sarah told Peach to quiet down and get some sleep. She smiled at Roy, who was writing something in a notebook, and left, closing the door behind her.

Sarah went down to the kitchen, thinking to wash the dishes left from breakfast. When she got there, however, she found them all clean and neatly put away.

"Marth," Sarah whispered wit ha smile.

She decided to go to the boys' room then, thinking that Marth would have taken Link there. She was right.

The prince looked up as she entered. The Hero of Time did not.

"Sarah! I thought you would come eventually," Marth said. "How is Lady Peach?"

Sarah sat down nest to him and looked at Link. "She's… going to be okay. She's awake, or at least was, and she insisted on being taken to her own room to recover. She didn't want to take attention away from Zelda. Roy's staying with her, and Link is out charge now."

Marth reached up and pushed Sarah's bangs behind her ear gently. "You called Master Hand. What did he say?"

"Not to worry so much," Sarah said, turning to look at the prince. "We don't appear to have a very hard job."

Marth smiled and sat back against the headboard of his bed. Sarah scooted over and curled up next to him. They stayed that way until a knock came on the door much later. Marth freed his arm from around the nearly-sleeping Sarah and went to answer the knock.

Roy swept into the room, a little out of breath, and set the tea tray he'd been carrying on one of the bedside tables. Sarah glanced at her watch and was surprised to see that it was nearing six o'clock.

"Thought you might want a little something to drink, since I was getting some for Peach," he said, panting.

Sarah sat up, rubbing her eyes, "Oh, thank you."

Roy looked at Link. "I'm also scheduled to check on Link now."

"What?" Marth asked, stopping his teacup halfway to his mouth.

Roy sighed and pulled out the notebook Sarah had seen earlier. "Look, I set my schedule. I sit with Peach for an hour, since she's my main charge, then I go make tea for you and Peach. While I'm here, I watch Link for fifteen minutes. After that, I take Peach's tea to her and go sit by Zelda for fifteen minutes." He stopped to take a breath. "Then I do it all again. I have to make sure nobody overworks themselves, you know."

Sarah didn't say anything for a moment. "What about you, Roy? Who's taking care of you?"

"Me? I don't need taking care of."

"And that would be why you have such horrible bags under your eyes, right?" Marth said quietly.

Roy looked back and forth between the two of them. "I…"

"Come on, Roy. Let's go back up to Peach now," Sarah said, taking him by the arm. She was surprised when she flinched at the contact, and quickly let go.

Roy, meanwhile, was arguing. "But I have to make sure Link is okay first!"

"He's fine, Roy. I'll come tell you if anything happens. Now go with Sarah," Marth said, sending a concerned look at Sarah.

Regaining her composure, Sarah waved off his unspoken question and beckoned Roy. The redheaded boy followed with a sigh.

Outside Peach's room, Sarah held out her hand. "Give me that schedule of yours."

"What? Why?" Came Roy's indignant response.

"Because I said so. Give it to me," said Sarah. Roy fished his notebook out of his pocket and handed it to her, grumbling under his breath. They went inside and saw Dr. Mario attending Peach again. Peach looked worse, pale and weak. Sarah made herself push worry aside and strode over to the doctor.

"Dr. Mario, look at what Roy's doing to himself," she said, thrusting the book at him. The doctor flipped through the schedule, then looked over at Roy.

"You're piling all this responsibility on yourself? Roy… you can't do this. You'll shut down."

Roy's temper flared. "No I won't! I can handle taking care of my friends! It's what _keeps _me from shutting down!"

Dr. Mario shifted something from the table to his hand behind his back. "I was going to give this to Peach, but I can make another batch, and I certainly don't need another patient in all this mess." He moved toward Roy. Sarah caught a glimpse of what he held in his hand, and moved forward as well. Dr, Mario was right. Roy needed this.

Roy backed into a corner, fear showing in his tired eyes. He was truly exhausting himself, Sarah saw. Dr. Mario grabbed his arm and produced the syringe from behind his back. Roy's eyes went wide, and he started trying to twist away. Sarah, taking a deep breath, took hold on his arm as well, and together the two of them wrestled him to the floor, where the doctor injected Roy with the sleeping medicine. Roy glared at them both before his eyes slid closed and he fell asleep.

"There," Dr. Mario said, standing up and brushing himself off. "That should make him sleep for a good ten hours. Goodness knows he needs it."

Sarah grinned at him. "Good. I'm going back to Marth and Link now. Will you be going back to Zelda?"

Dr. Mario shook his head. "No, I'll stay here with Peach, now that Roy's asleep. After all, it's not like Zelda's going anywhere anytime soon."

With another smile, Sarah left. She was thinking about poor Roy, thinking that it wasn't fair that they had to drug him to sleep. She didn't hear the click of a lock behind her.

**

* * *

Karanos: Ah, aren't my ideas lovely? /crushes Roy again/**

**Roy: /cries/**

**Marth: Yes, it was a good chapter. Very suspenseful there at the end.**

**Karanos: Yes, yes, that was my idea.**

**KT – DA: Um… actually, it was my idea to end it there…**

**Karanos: No it wasn't! I distinctly remember thinking that one up during lunch today!**

**KT – DA: You did not! I thought it up!**

**Karanos: I did too!**

**KT – DA: Did not!**

**Karanos: did too!**

**Link: Oh… Goddesses… Sweet Din…**

**Roy: Make them stop. Please.**

**Marth: Milady… um, Milady?**

**Link: Just give us a review, please. Maybe that will shut them up…**


	15. Searching

**KT – DA: And now, for a public service announcement.**

**Marth: Milady? What public service announcement?**

**Link: Hoo-boy, this is going to be good.**

**KT – DA: This story now has 50 reviews! Count them, there are 50.**

**Roy: That's not a public service announcement.**

**KT – DA: Do you want me to tell Karanos that you're here?**

**Roy: /meekly/ no**

**KT – DA: Then do the stuff, and stop telling me what is and isn't a public service announcement.**

**Roy: Kuroi Tenshi – Dark Angel doesn't own SSBM or any of its characters. She would like to make it known, however, that she still wishes she owned Marth.**

**Link: thanks to everyone who helped us achieve 50 reviews. Your thoughts are much appreciated.**

**KT – DA: well, I think that's all… Let's get on with the chapter.**

**Karanos: Ah! Roy! There you are! /pounces/**

**Roy: T-T somebody help me…**

**

* * *

Getting Over Our Troubles – Searching**

Sarah Holly woke up. The first thing she saw was the still, dark form of Link, in the same position he'd been in when she'd fallen asleep. The first thing she felt was the slight pressure of Marth's arm around her waist. She sighed and buried her face in the pillow for a moment, making herself think happy thoughts, knowing that the day would probably be stressful. Foremost among those thoughts were those about Marth.

Sarah finally decided that it was time to get up and face the day. Pushing the prince's arm away gently, she sat on the edge of the bed and stretched. She looked out the window and saw the last faint pink streaks of light from the sunrise. She wished that her bedroom has a view of the sunrise, but she got lovely sunsets, so she wasn't complaining. Brushing her hair out of her face, she turned the doorknob.

Except it didn't turn.

Sarah tried again and got the same result. She bit her lip, telling herself not to panic. She turned and went back to the bed where Marth still slept.

"Marth," she said quietly, shaking his shoulder. "Marth, wake up."

Marth brought a hand up to his back and rubbed his eyes, then suppressed a yawn. "My lady… what's wrong?"

Sarah frowned. "The door won't open. I think it's locked from the outside."

"What?" The prince pushed himself off the bed. Bypassing the Hero of Time, he stumbled over to the door and tried the handle. "You're right. It's locked."

"What should we do?" Sarah asked, coming up behind him.

Marth shook his head. "I don't know. I'm not nearly strong enough to break down the door." He hesitated. "Call Master Hand."

Sarah fished around in her pocket for her cell phone, but didn't find it.

"I can't. I took my phone out in the kitchen. I just have left it on the counter," she said, feeling irritated with herself.

Marth tried the door again, then shook his head. "I think we should start yell-"

A long wail cut him off.

Sarah looked at Marth, her eyes wide. "That was Roy…"

They heard the pounding of feet as someone came running through the hall. Suddenly, something crashed into the door, making the door and frame shudder.

"Marth! Link! Somebody! She's gone!" Roy shouted. Sarah and Marth wisely stepped away from the door. The door shuddered a second and third time before finally breaking apart, revealing a disheveled Roy. The redhead's eyes were wild with fear.

"Roy! Calm down!" Marth dried, taking hold of his friend's shoulders.

Sarah stepped over the debris and looked down the hallway. The other male Smashers were opening their doors, looking around in annoyance or concern. She turned back to the two swordsmen.

Marth was question Roy, but all he got were exclamations of "She's gone!" Finally, the prince gave up, and Roy started pulling him out the door. By then, the rest of the Smashers had gathered in the hall. Everyone followed, murmuring questions to one another, as Roy led them hurriedly to the hospital wing.

Sarah stopped at the doorway, horrified by what she saw. The bed that had previously held Princess Zelda now only held a tangle of tubes and wires. The heart monitor she had been hooked to was emitting a single, continuous beep. The sound was ominous. Sarah could not make herself move anymore.

Dr. Mario was sitting hunched over a machine of some sort, writing noted furiously. Roy was standing by the empty bed, a strange hiccupping noise coming from him. Sarah felt Marth take her hand and squeeze it so hard it hurt, but she didn't care. Zelda was missing.

"Roy," Master Hand's voice rang out. Heads turned to face him as he made his way to the front. "What happened?"

Roy gulped. "I woke up about a half an hour ago. When I tried to leave, the door was locked. Peach and Dr. Mario were asleep, Dr. Mario in a chair by the bed. I panicked and broke down the door to get out. I was worried about Zelda and came down here to check on her. I found this." He gestured to the bed, then resumed his story. "I ran back to Dr. Mario and asked him if he'd moved her last night before he came upstairs. He said he hadn't and left before I could say anything else. I didn't know what to do, so I… I screamed, then I went to find Marth. Their door was locked too, so I broke it down, and… you know the rest."

No one spoke as Roy's words sank in. Then Master Hand turned and started back through the crowd. "I've got to make some phone calls. Sarah?"

Sarah made herself answer. "Yes sir?"

"You're in charge. Organize a search of the mansion."

"Y-yes sir. I'll do that."

Master Hand left, and the Smashers started talking all at once, shouting suggestions to Sarah and yelling at each other. Sarah tried to get their attention, but no one would listen to her. Finally, Bowser sat back on his hind legs and roared. Everyone shut up fast.

"Master Hand said Sarah is in charge," Bowser said, his voice a growl.

"Thank you, Bowser," Sarah said, surprised at his help. She took a deep breath. "I want to break everyone up into search parties, and I _don't_ want you to complain about who you're put with."

The crowd started talking, and Bowser roared again.

Sarah did some quick thinking. "First, I want Kirby, Jigglypuff, Pikachu, and Pichu to search the grounds outside. Use your floating abilities and senses of smell. Captain Falcon, Mario, Luigi, and Ness will search the attic. Young Link, Ice Climbers, Mr. Game & Watch, and Ganon will take the basement and the main floor. Fox, Falco, Yoshi, and Samus, you search the fourth and third floors. Mewtwo, Donkey Kong, and Bowser, go to the stadium. Dr. Mario, you stay here. Now go, and come back to Master Hand if you find anything."

The Smashers separated into their groups and went off to search, some walking fast while others flat out ran.

Marth turned to Sarah. She was surprised to see Link standing behind him, but then realized that he must have gone back for the Hero.

"What about us? What are we doing?" Marth asked.

She gave him a meaningful look. "We are going to take Roy and Link, since he's here, and search our hallway on the second floor. You told me that no one else uses it but you, which would mean that no one else would search it, most likely."

A look of understanding crossed the prince's face.

Dr. Mario looked up from his work. "According to my calculations here, Zelda was taken off the machine around two o'clock this morning. The medicine she was receiving was enough to keep her alive for a maximum of 9 hours once taken off the machine if she wasn't completely independent of it. Fascinating! It's eight o'clock now. She's got three hours left to live!"

Roy spun around and snatched the doctor by the front of his shirt, causing him to drop his clipboard, squeaking in surprise. "How _dare_ you say that as if it were entertaining! She's going to _die_!"

Marth pulled Roy away from Dr. Mario. "That's enough. It's not helping anything to get mad at Dr. Mario, even if you are right. We've got to go search."

The three of them left, leading Link. Roy was still fuming, but Sarah and Marth worked on calming him down as they made their way to the second floor. Roy, who had never been to that part of the mansion before, stopped and looked around.

The group started down the hallway, looking in each room as they went. They searched thoroughly, even to the extent of lifting the frames of the paintings in the Portrait Room and knocking on walls. After all, Roy insisted, there could be secret passageways.

They found nothing in any of the first ten rooms they looked in. Marth suggested stopping for a small break, and so they all sat against the wall.

Sarah checked her watch. They had been at it for an hour. One hour down, two to go. Sarah couldn't help picturing a clock with Zelda lying under it, the clock counting down the minutes to the princess's death. Sarah forced the thought away and looked at the two sitting beside her. They hadn't bothered making Link sit down.

"What I want to know," Marth started in a calculating voice, "is why our rooms were the only ones locked this morning."

Roy lifted his head from where it rested on his knees. "You put Ganondorf and Samus in search groups, Sarah, but they weren't there. I haven't seen either of them all morning."

"I don't know, I don't want to think about anything right now. I don't want to play detective. I just want to find my friend before Death does," Sarah said vehemently. Marth and Roy both agreed, and they set out again, Sarah leading Link this time. She found she didn't mind him touching her when she knew he couldn't do anything to her.

In one of the rooms, though they found nothing of Zelda, they met Kirby resting on a windowsill. Marth walked over and let him in.

"Have you found anything?" Roy asked.

Kirby sighed. "Nothing. No tracks to be seen, nor any smell for the pokémon to follow."

"I see. Well, keep looking," Sarah said, and Kirby left, floating away to another window.

Sarah checked her watch again while she waited for Marth to open the Ancient Library door. Ten-thirty. They had to look faster.

Marth opened the door, and they all walked in.

Roy pointed at one of the large armchairs that were scattered around the room. "What's that? Is something in that chair?"

Sarah and Marth looked at each other, then started forward. Sarah drew Link after her.

When they got around to the other side of the chair, Sarah felt like she was going to be sick. Princess Zelda's glassy eyes stared at them, unseeing. She was wearing her hospital gown, and a small trickle of blood had dried on her lips. The worst thing, though, was her pose. Someone had arranged her limbs in such as a fashion as to look like she was sitting on a throne. A paper crown that had been placed on her tangled hair was falling off as her head lolled slightly to one side.

Roy turned away, white-faced.

Sarah raised a hand to her mouth to keep from retching.

Marth stepped backwards, fists clenched.

Link woke up and went to cradle his princess's cold body to him, tears streaming down his cheeks.

**

* * *

Karanos: I'm so brilliantly brilliant in my writing.**

**KT – DA: Okay, we covered this yesterday. You gave me the main plotline, I wrote the words.**

**Karanos: You realize that if this were real life, I would be so kicking you for confronting me like this.**

**KT – DA: thankfully, this is all on the computer, and we will laugh about how I've portrayed you tomorrow in Spanish.**

**Roy: Um… Karanos?**

**Karanos: Wh-? Oh, yes?**

**Roy: Would you mind… loosening your hold please? I can't feel my fingers, and they look rather purple.**

**Karanos: Oh, alright. Don't run away. /loosens hold/**

**Link: Great. So now I'm crying… what kind of a man cries?**

**Marth: Sensitive men. Milady Zelda will like it.**

**Link: She will?**

**Marth: I'm sure of it.**

**Link: /works up some tears/**

**Karanos: Hey, send my writer friend (who is truly brilliant in her own way) some reviews!**


	16. Getting Back to Work

**KT – DA: Come one, come all! It's the next chapter of Getting Over Our Troubles!**

**Link: /monotonously/ Joy.**

**KT – DA: Oh, Link, you're so mean! /cries/ Marth!**

**Marth: Yes, Milady?**

**KT – DA: Give me a status report! Do I own you yet?**

**Marth: um… no.**

**KT – DA: Wah!**

**Roy: Oh my God! Help!**

**Karanos: Bo-ha-ha-ha! You are mine! /grabs Roy/**

**/general chaos ensues for a little while/**

**KT – DA: Alright! That's enough!**

**Roy: Can't… breathe… Karanos… smothering…**

**KT – DA: Karanos, let go of him for a minute. He needs to do the stuff.**

**Karanos: hmph, fine.**

**Roy: Um… Kuroi Tenshi – Dark Angel does not own SSBM or any of its characters. She does own Sarah Holly still, in case you were wondering.**

**KT – DA: /muttering/ I DO own Marth… I do…**

**Link: Thanks for all your reviews. We enjoy reading your comments!**

**KT – DA: Here's the chapter.**

**

* * *

Getting Over Our Troubles – Getting Back to Work**

Sarah Holly didn't know what to do. Marth and Roy had managed to wrestle Link off of Zelda, once they made him understand the critical condition she was in. The two boys had carried the princess out of the room and made their way slowly to the hospital wing. Sarah had followed right after with Link, still horrified by the discovery. Link's continuous sobs alerted most of the other Smashers to the end of the search.

Now Sarah sat in the common room with the boys, trying unsuccessfully not to think about it.

Link sighed, and started bouncing his leg up and down. He'd stopped crying and was growing more impatient by the minute.

"What's taking that quack so long?" Link vented.

In another situation, Sarah might have laughed. "He's making sure she's alright. Don't rush it, Link."

"Besides," Roy said, "you've only just recovered yourself. You should be getting some rest."

Marth sat with his hands clasped in his lap. "What happened, Link?"

Link shuddered. "I'm not sure. I wouldn't let myself stop seeing myself stab her, so I just… stopped doing anything else. When I saw her sitting there like that, something snapped." He looked up at them, his eyes shining with tears. "I can't lose her. I'd die. I think… I think I love her."

At that moment, Dr. Mario rushed into the room. He looked flustered, but satisfied about something.

"She's stabilized. We've got her properly hooked to everything, and the medicine's got through her systems. She'll be okay."

Link stood up. "And we can visit her?"

Dr. Mario nodded. "I said I'd tell you first, didn't I? Come with me."

Link, Roy, Marth, and Sarah followed the little doctor to the hospital wing. Their trip was interrupted, however, when Master Hand called out to them from his office when they passed.

"Sarah, there you are. Come in here a moment. There's something I need to talk to you about."

Sarah nodded. "Go on to see Zelda," she said to the others. "I'll come by later."

She closed the door behind her and sat in the chair across from Master Hand.

Her employer put his elbows on the desk and rested his chin on his hands. "We have a problem, Sarah. Our sponsors are threatening to pull their support from the tournament if we don't start up the battles again."

Sarah was shocked. "What? They can't! We're still dealing with Zelda!"

"I know, and I told them about it, but they won't listen to reason. They're telling us to start the battles tomorrow. I've already set the battle roster, now I just need you to set the stages. Don't worry, I only made one of them an item battle. What really needs doing is cleaning up the Fountain of Dreams."

Master Hand pushed the battle roster over to Sarah and sat back. Sarah glanced through it quickly, and was relieved to find that none of the Smashketeers were scheduled to battle.

"Alright," Sarah said, picking up the roster and standing up. "Alright, but I don't like it."

Master Hand nodded. "I know you don't. Now, go make something for lunch. It's a little late, but I'm sure everyone's hungry by now."

Sarah agreed and bid him goodbye. As she headed for the kitchen, she looked at the roster more closely. Young Link was fighting Fox at Termina Bay first, Then Kirby would go against Yoshi on Yoshi's Island. Samus would fight the Ice Climbers on her home turf, Brinstar Depths.

In the kitchen, Sarah set the roster down on a table. Brushing her bangs out of her eyes, she turned, expecting to see her cell phone sitting on the counter by the stove. When she didn't, she looked around and ended up searching the entire kitchen. She didn't find it, and finally gave up and started preparing lunch.

The smells of cooking food brought the Smashers to the dining hall in groups, chatting uneasily about the events of the day. Sarah grabbed four plates, balancing them carefully on her arms, when she saw Marth, Link, and Roy come in. They joined her at the table, and the four of them began talking.

"Zelda's still asleep, but for some reason she looks better than she did before she disappeared," Marth said, taking a bite.

Link scowled. "I wanted to stay with her, but Dr. Quack Mario wouldn't let me."

Sarah smiled at the Hero. "You know, you really shouldn't over-exert yourself. Get some rest, you know?"

"Oh, I'll get some rest. It'll be in the hospital wing with Zelda," Link huffed.

Marth looked at Roy. "You went up to see Lady Peach, right? How is she doing?"

The redhead took a long drink from his cup and then set it down hard. "She's getting worse. She's very pale, and she can't sit up on her own. I took her temperature, and she's burning with fever." He paused for a moment, then added, "she should be in the hospital wing."

Link sighed lightly. "How did she get sick again?"

We don't know. She just collapsed," Sarah said.

The Hero of Time pushed back from the table and stretched. He picked up everyone's empty plates and headed for the kitchen. The others fell silent, thinking to themselves.

When Link returned, he was shaking, and he held a small basket in his hands. "What are these doing in the kitchen?" He held the basket out. The leftover mushrooms from Samus' gift to Peach were inside.

"Oh, Samus asked me to put some of those in Peach's omelette to cheer her up," Sarah explained.

Link turned white. "What?! Peach _ate_ these?"

Roy stood up. "Link, what's wrong?"

Link picked up one of the mushrooms. "These things only grow in Gerudo Valley. How Samus got hold of them, I don't know. What I do know is they don't belong in any kitchen. They're deadly poisonous!"

Sarah felt her throat tighten as she pictured Peach collapsing in the dining hall again.

**

* * *

Marth: Wow, that's quite interesting. Poison mushrooms…**

**Link: I knew it the whole time.**

**Roy: No, you didn't. You were catatonic the whole time!**

**Karanos: I did know it the whole time. Kuroi told me about that at lunch before she wrote it!**

**Roy: Please don't do the 'bo-ha-ha-ha' thing again.**

**Karanos: BO-HA-HA-HA! /arms crossed genie style/**

**KT – DA: Please review!**


	17. A Turn of Events

**KT – DA: And here we are again!**

**Link: /skips in, humming 'Jingle Bell Rock'/**

**KT – DA: um… what's up with him?**

**Roy: Karanos decided to amuse herself by telling him all about the Christmas holiday. He'd never heard of it before, since they don't celebrate it in Hyrule.**

**Marth: So now he's overflowing with Christmas spirit. I had to yell at him to make him stop polishing my sword for me.**

**Link: /from the other room/ Why are there no Christmas lights outside?**

**KT – DA: Because we're all too lazy to climb on a ladder and string them.**

**Link: Ha! I'll do it, then!**

**Roy: Yeah, you do that. /mutters/ You Christmas freak.**

**Marth: Milady, where is Karanos?**

**KT – DA: I don't know. Probably perfecting her 'bo-ha-ha-ha' or something like that. Roy, do the stuff.**

**Roy: Oh, okay. Kuroi Tenshi – Dark Angel doesn't own SSBM or any of its characters. She still owns Sarah Holly.**

**KT – DA: Link! Come do your part!**

**Link: /walks in, tangled in a string of lights/ Yes, yes, we're all very happy to get your reviews. I'm going back to the lights now.**

**KT – DA: Fine. Marth, why don't you introduce the chapter this time? /grabs his arm/**

**Marth: Here's the chapter, and you still don't own me, Kuroi.**

**KT – DA: phooey.**

**

* * *

Getting Over Our Troubles – A Turn of Events**

Sarah Holly was vaguely aware of someone calling her name.

"My lady? My lady! Sarah!" Marth's voice broke through her thoughts.

"Peach…" Sarah murmured. She turned to Link almost fiercely. "Will she die?"

Link frowned. "How many did she eat?"

Sarah bit her lip. "I put two mushrooms in the omelette, and she ate about half of it."

"Then she probably won't die, so long as she receives proper treatment." Link said.

Roy glanced around the room, then leaned close conspiratorially. "Do you think Samus could have been given the mushrooms? Maybe she passed them on without knowing what they were!"

Marth looked confused. "What do you mean?"

Roy sighed. "Link said that they only grow in Gerudo Valley. Who comes from there that would be passing out poisonous mushrooms?"

"Ganondorf," Sarah whispered.

"Exactly," Roy said with a nod.

Marth rested his chin on his fist. "So, you think that Ganondorf gave these to Samus, hoping that _she_ would eat them?"

Roy nodded again. "Right."

"But then Samus felt sorry for Peach, and gave the mushrooms to her, thinking that they would cheer her up…" Link trailed off, finishing the theory.

Roy hit his hand on the table lightly. "Yes, yes, yes! That is exactly what I think happened!"

"Alright, so it looks like Ganondorf is the culprit here. Do we have any proof?" Sarah asked skeptically.

Roy glared at her. "Haven't you been listening to a word I've said? Those mushrooms come from the villain's homeland!"

Sarah pulled back, frightened by Roy's forcefulness.

Marth scowled at the redhead. "Don't yell at her! She was bringing up a good point! You don't need to vent your anger on her."

Roy looked away and crossed his arms. "Okay, you're right. I'm sorry for shouting at you, Sarah."

"No, it's okay," Sarah said, regaining her composure. "We're all a little stressed out over things."

The group stayed and talked for a little while longer, then they left to start separate jobs. Link went back to the hospital wing to sit with Zelda, and Roy headed for the girls' dorms to visit Peach again. Sarah went to the Fountain of Dreams to start her clean-up, and Marth went with her.

Sarah turned to the prince with a smile. "Are you going to help me clean this place up?"

Marth nodded, then gave a little bow. "I am at your disposal, my lady."

"Alright," Sarah said. She looked around to see what needed doing. "Oh, no."

Marth followed her line of sight to a large, dark stain of dried blood. "I'll do that, Sarah. You get the broom and sweep up the broken sphere."

Sarah gave him a grateful smile and went to get the broom.

Once all the cleaning on the stage was done, Sarah took Marth up to the catwalk.

"This is very interesting. I'd like to be up here when a battle is going on," Marth said as he stopped to look down on every stage they passed over.

When they reached the Fountain of Dreams, Marth stood back and watched while Sarah pulled the metal ring up from under the catwalk and sat it on her lap. She was pulling a replacement sphere out of the box she'd brought along when Marth touched her shoulder. He pointed at the metal ring.

"What is that?"

Sarah looked. Next to the empty socket was a small round object that Sarah knew didn't belong on a sphere ring. The area directly around it looked scorched. Sarah gingerly pulled the object off and held it up.

"It looks like one of Samus' bombs, but it's so tiny…" Marth said, squatting down beside her.

Sarah squinted, rolling the little ball between her fingers. "Whether it's one of Samus' or not, it's a bomb, and it's already gone off. Obviously, this is what's left over."

"Sarah, look," Marth said, pointing to the attached spheres. Sarah saw fine lines running over the surface of each one.

"They're all broken," she said in disbelief.

Marth took her by the shoulders and looked her in the eye. "Sarah, this was no accident caused by a lightning storm. Someone put this thing here deliberately. Someone _wanted_ Zelda to get hurt."

Sarah swallowed, fear starting to rush through her body. "I've got to call Master Hand," she said, fishing in her pocket for her phone. "Ah, I forgot."

Marth frowned. "Didn't you get it in the kitchen?"

"I thought I'd left it there, but I couldn't find it this morning," Sarah said.

Neither said anything for a moment. Marth stood up and pulled Sarah with him. "Let's get out of here. I want to tell the others about this."

They left the ring and box of spheres where they were, but Sarah slipped the tiny bomb into her pocket as they left the catwalk.

Sarah found Roy in Peach's room and asked him to come down to the hospital wing with her, telling him it was urgent. Once there, she and Marth related the finding of the bomb to Link and Roy. Sarah brought it out and placed it on Zelda's bedside table.

Roy leaned forward and rolled the ball around on the table. "I bet Ganondorf stole this from Samus and put it up there right before the battle. He was probably hoping to get _you_, Link," he said in a whisper.

Marth sighed. "Maybe, Roy, but why Ganondorf?"

"He's the one who poisoned Peach!"

"Maybe. If he did, why does that mean that he also planted this bomb?"

"Because… it just does!" Roy spluttered.

Suddenly, Link cried out in shock. The others turned and gasped.

Zelda was sitting up. The others couldn't do anything as she reached out her arm and took the bomb from Roy. She looked at it for a moment, then handed it back to Roy.

"Metal… cold metal… took me… carried me away from here," she said, then sank back into the pillows. She was asleep again.

Sarah fainted.

**

* * *

KT – DA: Ooh, wasn't that exciting?**

**Roy: Oh dear, I think she's found me.**

**Karanos: What did I miss? /pounces on Roy before he can escape/**

**KT – DA: Oh, nothing much. I posted another chapter, that's all.**

**Karanos: Ah, I see. /looks around/ where's Link?**

**Link: /from outside/ &# Christmas lights!**

**Karanos: Bo-ha-ha-ha! /arms crossed genie style/**

**Marth: Please review for Milady Kuroi!**


	18. Achilles

**KT – DA: Well, here we are. Another chapter.**

**Roy: Wow, Link, you finally got the Christmas lights up.**

**Link: Yes, well, it wasn't that hard.**

**Marth: Link, you were cursing at them. You never curse.**

**Link: Er… that is…**

**Karanos: Roy!**

**Roy: /silently hold out arm, which is then hugged/**

**KT – DA: Wow, you have him trained.**

**Karanos: Why, yes I do.**

**Roy: I figure I go through less pain this way.**

**Marth: That's probably wise.**

**KT – DA: Roy, do the stuff.**

**Roy: Kuroi Tenshi – Dark Angel does not own SSBM or any of its characters. She still owns Sarah.**

**Link: Thanks to everyone for all your reviews. They are fawned over every night, I can assure you.**

**KT – DA: ahem… yes… well… Here's the chapter!**

**

* * *

Getting Over Our Troubles - Achilles**

Sarah Holly felt warm. When she opened her eyes, she saw Marth's concerned face staring down at her. He was holding her, and his arms tightened around her when he saw her awake.

"My lady, are you alright?"

Sarah was aware of Roy standing over her as well. Link had his back to her, bent over the sleeping form of Zelda.

"Marth," she said, swallowing against sudden tears.

"Yes?"

"I really want to find my cell phone. Right now."

Marth bit his lip. "But are you okay?"

Sarah pushed herself up into a sitting position. "Yes, I'm fine. I was just overwhelmed when Zelda…"

Marth nodded and helped her up.

"Sarah," Roy said, looking confused. "You let him touch you. I thought you didn't…"

Sarah gave him an apologetic smile. "I know it's strange. Marth just doesn't make me remember."

Roy looked even more confused. "Remember what?"

"I'll tell you someday, Roy, but not now. I've got to find my phone. Why don't you go back up to Peach and let Link stay here?" Sarah started out the door, and Marth followed.

Roy nodded. "Okay, I'll do that. You be careful now!" He shouted the last part after her as she left.

Sarah took Marth to the common room and stopped in front of the single telephone. Anyone was allowed to use it whenever he wanted. Sarah grabbed a piece of paper and a pen and jotted down her phone number. "Here. Use the phone and keep calling this number. I'll wander around until I find it."

"How will we communicate until then?" Marth asked.

"Oh, right!" Sarah turned and started for the door. "I'll be right back. Stay here!"

When she returned, she had two walkie talkies.

"Take this," she said, handing one to Marth. "I borrowed them from Master Hand. He wasn't in his office, so I left him a note."

They tested the little communicators a few times before Marth dialed the number and Sarah set out. She wandered around aimlessly at first, chatting with Marth to pass the time. She looked around the kitchen first, but didn't really expect to find anything there. She made her way to the Stadium and listened for the ringing there, but heard nothing beyond the sounds of the Smashers training, making preparations for their battles tomorrow. She peeked into the training room and waved at them, then moved on.

Finally, after nearly two hours, Sarah heard the faint sound of her phone coming from the dorms. She looked in her room first, thinking that someone might have put it there for her. She heard the ring when she stepped out again, and walked slowly over to the door she heard it from. Turning away from the door, she called Marth again.

"I found it. Thanks for bearing with me."

The prince's voice crackled over the speaker. "A pleasure, as always, my lady."

Sarah smiled, though she knew he couldn't see her. "I'm going to start dinner. It's about that time. If you want to meet me there, that would be great."

"I'll be there."

True to his word, Marth was in the kitchen when she arrived. She walked over to him with a smile, and then kissed him impulsively. They talked while she set about making dinner, the conversation often returning to Zelda's awakening and cryptic speech.

"What do you think she meant by 'cold metal?' I was thinking about it while you searched." Marth asked.

Sarah shrugged. "I have no idea." She reached up and opened a cabinet, needing one of the bowls she kept there. "Huh? What's this?"

She pulled down not a bowl, but a white envelope. Her name was written on it in black ink. She didn't recognize the handwriting.

Marth looked at it over her shoulder. "It looks like it's for you. Open it."

Sarah did so. A single piece of paper fell out and fluttered to the floor. Sarah caught it and turned it over. There was only one word written there, in the same handwriting as was on the envelope.

"Achilles," Sarah read.

Marth looked confused. "Is there anything else in there?"

Sarah checked and shook her head when she found nothing.

"That's strange. I wonder what it means," Marth said.

Sarah set the paper and envelope on the counter and finished making dinner. She was already making a plan in the back of her mind as she worked, a plan that she did not intend to tell Marth about.

Link came rushing into the dining hall halfway through dinner. "She's awake again!"

Marth and Sarah smiled in amazement. "Has she said anything else about… whatever it was?" Marth asked.

"No. I asked her about it, but she doesn't even remember it happening," Link said.

Sarah pointed at a chair across from her. "Sit down and have something to eat, Link."

The Hero of Time shook his head. "I'm going back to the hospital wing. I told Zelda that I would be right back."

"Oh, okay. I guess we'll see you later, then," Sarah said. Link nodded and left the dining hall at a jog.

Sarah and Marth finished their dinners and decided to go straight to bed. It had been a long day, after all. They stood outside Sarah's bedroom and talked for a while.

"Thank you again for helping me find my phone," Sarah thanked Marth.

The prince bowed. "Not at all, my lady. As I said earlier, I am at your disposal."

Sarah smiled. "Well, I still thank you, just the same."

Marth took her in his arms and held her close. "I haven't had the chance to say this properly. I believe I was cut off the last time I tried." He rested his chin on her head. "I love you, Sarah."

Sarah smiled against his chest. Pulling away slightly, she put her arms around his neck. "I think I knew that. I love you, too."

The prince kissed her once, and they said goodnight. Sarah watched Marth until he'd disappeared around the corner before going into her room and shutting the door.

The next morning, Sarah ran through the preparations of breakfast in a blur, shouting out last minute orders as she cooked. Smashers were running around, making sure that everything was done correctly for the start of the battles. They came in to get breakfast in ones and twos, and nobody seemed to have the time to sit down to eat. Sarah ran errands for the Smashers who were going to battle today. She fetched forgotten weapons, checked to see that gear was fitted on correctly, and other such odds and ends jobs.

Finally, she ushered all the battlers into the wait area and started for her post on the catwalk. She heard Master Hand announce the start of the first battle. She changed direction and left the Stadium completely. They didn't need her there to stand on the catwalk.

Sarah's first stop was Master Hand's office. She searched through the many drawers of his desk until she found what she was looking for. She tucked the object in her pocket, and then hurried out the door and down the hall.

Sarah stood outside Samus' door. She fitted the master key she had taken from her employer's office into the lock and turned it. The door opened, and Sarah held her breath. She stepped inside.

It was dark, the shades all pulled down on the windows. The bed was neatly made, and everything was put away where it belonged. Looking around, Sarah found a calendar on the back wall. She could see that something was written on some of the days. She walked forward slowly, curious about what it said.

Three days were circled in red. The first one read 'Link vs. Zelda, Fountain of Dreams.' The second said 'Peach, mushrooms.' Both of them were days already crossed off. The third was two days away. It read 'Sarah, cooking at 2:00. Back to window.'

Sarah stumbled back, shocked at what this clearly meant. She turned away, not wanting to see any more of it, and saw her phone sitting on a desk next to a single mushroom. It looked just like the ones she had cooked into Peach's omelette. Sarah walked over and picked up both the phone and the mushroom and put them in her pocket. She moved over to the computer and, after searching for a moment, found the on switch. She hit it and waited for it to boot up.

A text box popped up and asked for a password. Sarah thought for a moment, then carefully typed in the word Achilles. The text box disappeared in a blink, and Sarah had access to everything.

She went first into what was labeled quite plainly as 'Smash log.' It turned out to be a journal, describing Samus' days at Smash Mansion. Sarah read the first few passages, finding only one short entry of interest.

'Feb. 18,

I met the one they call the Hero of Time today. He has golden hair, and blue eyes, just a hero should, or at least according to the songs. I could see myself with him.'

Sarah moved past the earlier ones, stopping to read the more recent entries.

'Aug. 28,

I can't believe it! Zelda is still alive! After all I've done to assure otherwise… I made that bomb special to destroy those spheres. I made sure to detonate it right as Link's sword hit her heart… I must have miscalculated somewhere. If that dratted Peach weren't so intent on staying right by her night and day, I could get in there and finish it. I 'borrowed' some of Ganon's special mushrooms to get her out of the way. That stupid Sarah fell for my concerned act right away and put the things in the princess's food this morning.'

'Aug. 30,

I've got a battle today, but I managed to set up my knife-trap outside the kitchen window for Sarah this morning. I conveniently borrowed one of Ganon's knives for it. Once she's out of the way, I can finally move in on Link. He will be mine. I have known it since the first moment I saw him. I will finally finish off that prissy princess of his, no one the wiser, and I will be there to comfort him in his grief.'

Sarah swallowed the lump of fear that had lodged itself in her throat. She quickly told the computer to print some of the entries. While she waited, she went back to the calendar and ripped off the page, folding it up carefully.

When the journal finished printing, she snatched it all up and ran from the room, heading for the Stadium. She would talk to the Smashketeers first. She knew they would support her in this.

**

* * *

Roy: Cool title. I like how it was the password.**

**Karanos: That was my idea!**

**Roy: /in wonder/ really?**

**KT – DA: Yes, it was her idea. She persuaded me to use it.**

**Karanos: /beams/ Bo-ha-ha-ha! I am brilliant!**

**Roy: uh-huh...**

**Marth: Looks like we should leave those two alone, Milady. /leads KT – DA out of room/**

**KT – DA: Oh… I see… /laughs/**

**Link: Please review for us!**


	19. Accusation

**KT – DA: Well, I regret to inform you, that we are nearing the end of this story.**

**Marth: We are? Oh, Milady, does it end well?**

**KT – DA: Read it yourself and find out.**

**Roy: Ooh, so you'll move on to another story?**

**KT – DA: maaaaaybeeee….**

**Karanos: Ha! Yes, of course! Another of my brilliant literary ideas.**

**Roy: Oh, yay! You have such good ideas, Karanos!**

**Karanos: /beams/**

**KT – DA: Um… you didn't by chance… brainwash him, did you?**

**Karanos: Bo-ha-ha-ha! He loves me now!**

**Roy: /hugs her arm/**

**Karanos: Life is good.**

**KT – DA: Well, Roy, do the stuff.**

**Roy: Yeah, sure. Kuroi Tenshi – Dark Angel, does not own SSBM or any of its characters. She does own Sarah Holly, as always.**

**Link: Again, thank you to everyone for your reviews.**

**Marth: Here's the chapter!**

**

* * *

Getting Over Our Troubles – Accusation**

Sarah Holly struggled through the stands in the Stadium, trying to reach her friends. After a few minutes of searching, she found the boys sitting near the back. They were surprised to see her.

"Sarah, what are you doing here?" Roy asked.

Sarah was out of breath from her run, and from fear. "I've found something," she said. "We need to talk. Right now."

The others looked at each other. Marth stood. "Something's wrong, isn't it?"

Sarah nodded in response.

"Alright, let's go. I've been away from Zelda for too long now, anyway," Link said, following as Sarah led them from the Stadium. Sarah took them to the common room and laid her bundle of evidence on the table before turning to the boys.

"Yesterday, Marth helped me find my cell phone. I'd lost it earlier, sometime before the search for Zelda. Anyway, I heard it ringing from inside Samus' room." Sarah stopped as Master Hand entered the room, followed by a few Smashers. Among them was Samus, out of her armor to cool down after her battle.

Master Hand waved Sarah on. "Please continue. Mario told me that you had something to say. He said Roy had sent him."

Sarah swallowed nervously, glanced at Samus, and then took a deep breath. She told how she'd waited until the battles had started to go fetch the key from Master Hand's office. She told how she'd found the calendar and the notes on it. She showed them the mushroom she had found. She described receiving the password mysteriously, and then guessing what it was. She told about the computer journal, and handed what she had printed off to Master Hand.

Master Hand flipped through the pages, his face a mask of disappointment. He stopped at one and read aloud.

"'They found Zelda, far too soon for her to die. If Roy hadn't broken down his door… but I get away from the real problem. Link woke up and knows the princess is alive. Peach was out of the way, of course, but Sarah was there to comfort him, and I could not get close to him. I will have to kill her, too.'"

Sarah caught a glimpse of Link's face. It was white, and he looked terrified.

Master Hand sent someone to look outside the kitchen window, and someone else to call the police. When they returned, the one from the kitchen carrying one of Ganondorf's knives, Master Hand turned on Samus.

"Samus, why would you do something like this?"

The bounty huntress's face was contorted with rage and shock. "I… nobody ever pays attention to me! If Link had taken the time to notice me, I wouldn't have needed to do this!" she shouted, eyes wild.

Link clenched his fists, shaking with anger. "You tried to kill her. You tried to kill Peach, too, and you were going to kill Sarah! I can't believe you want me to have any sort of feelings for you!"

Sirens were sounding outside. Samus scowled. "You would have if you'd never found out about it. If this little rat hadn't ruined it! Who gave her my password? Who _knew_ my password?"

Mewtwo's voice sounded in everyone's head as he floated over. "I did. You needed to be stopped. I read your mind for the password, and simply gave Sarah the one thing she was missing."

"Well," Samus started. "How touching. Unfortunate that she will be unable to reap the rewards of her discovery!"

The bounty huntress wheeled on Sarah and pulled a gun out from somewhere. The trigger pulled lightning-quick, and Sarah felt herself freeze with fear. A blue blur pushed her too the side too late, and she heard someone scream with pain. It took her a moment to realize she was hearing herself.

The bullet had entered her shoulder. She reached up and held the spot, feeling her hand fill with blood.

"My lady!" Marth screamed, eyes filling with tears as he reached for her. "Oh, Sarah, I was too slow…"

Sarah was aware of Marth pulling her close, was aware of him trying to take her hand away from her wound, but she was too busy watching the police take Samus away to do anything about it.

"Samus!" she yelled. "I hope you burn in hell for what you have done to my friends!"

Samus glared coldly over her shoulder as the police led her from the room.

Dr. Mario had appeared sometime during all the chaos, and was now fussing over her wound. He was having a difficult time of it, as Marth refused to be moved from her side.

"Confound you protective men! I can't do anything for her if you keep pushing me away!" he cried eventually. He bustled Sarah off to the hospital wing, giving her a pill to make her sleep on the way. Link, Roy, and Marth followed.

In the hospital wing, Sarah was still awake enough to notice that Zelda was awake, and that Peach occupied the bed next to her, asleep and being treated for her sickness. Sarah was put on Zelda's other side.

The last thing she saw before she let the drugs take her away to sleep was Marth bending over her, holding her hand tightly. She sighed.

"Marth, I love…"

The prince didn't let go of her hand during the whole time Dr. Mario worked to take the bullet out of her shoulder.

He was still there when she woke up.

It made her feel as if everyone was going to start the healing process together.

She was right.

**

* * *

Link: Is that the end?**

**Roy: Man, that's a lame ending.**

**Marth: Be polite to Milady! Pay them no mind, Lady Kuroi.**

**KT – DA: Oh, no, it's okay. That's not the end, anyway.**

**Link: It's not?**

**Karanos: No, you fools. There's an epilogue.**

**Roy: Oh.**

**KT – DA: Naturally.**

**Marth: Well, I thought it was a nice ending, anyway.**

**Link: Marth, you're such a pansy.**

**Marth: What?!**

**Roy: /snickers/ yeah, you are.**

**Marth: /scowles/ Oh yeah? I'll show you! Come forth and do battle!**

**Karanos: Shall we go watch?**

**KT – DA: Yeah. This should be interesting.**

**Link: Alright, well, before we go, please review!**


	20. Two Months Later, or, The Epilogue

**KT – DA: Here it is everyone. The moment you've all been waiting for… the epilogue!**

**Marth: /claps/**

**Link: yay.**

**Roy: Has anyone seen Karanos?**

**KT – DA: um… no.**

**Roy: Aw… that's too bad. I was going to give her a kiss.**

**KT – DA: Ah… well, um… while you wait, maybe you could do the stuff?**

**Roy: Oh, sure. Kuroi Tenshi – Dark Angel doesn't own SSBM in any way, shape, or form. She does own Sarah Holly.**

**KT- DA: Okay, great. Now, on to the… wait, where's Link?**

**Marth: He went to get the mail in.**

**KT- DA: Oh, okay. On to the…**

**Link: Kuroi! Kuroi! Look what just came in the mail!**

**KT – DA: What? /takes envelope/ Dear Kuroi… Nintendo… hereby proclaims ownership… Marth… full and complete… sincerely… WOOOOOOOOO HOOOOOOOO!!!!!!**

**Roy: wow… didn't see that one comin'**

**Link: yeah.**

**Marth: She… owns me?**

**KT – DA: /grabs Marth/ You're mine now! Come on, I'm making a tag to label you! /drags Marth into next room.**

**Karanos: /enters, laughing/ did it work?**

**Link: huh?**

**Roy: Karanos!**

**Karanos: Meh, I sent her that letter. Photoshopped it to look like the Nintendo letterhead. Thought it would shut up her whining. 'I don't own Marth… boo hoo hoo…'**

**Roy: Karanos!**

**Karanos: okay, okay, on to the epilogue.**

**

* * *

Getting Over Our Troubles – Two Months Later, or, The Epilogue**

Sarah Holly sat in the common room with the other Smashketeers. Her arm was in a sling, though she was sick of it by now. Marth sat next to her, hovering like a protective mother hen. Peach sat in an armchair across from Sarah. The princess was strong enough to hold herself up, and was almost capable of walking around by herself as well. Dr. Mario had worked wonders on her, his medicine restoring her color to her face and giving her new strength.

Zelda sat in a wheelchair next to the couch. She was awake most of the time now, though she could not walk at all. Link, who was lying on the couch, had named himself as her primary care-taker. Roy, however, had named himself as everyone else's primary care-taker, and was running around making sure the girls were comfortable.

"Roy, they're fine!" Link finally snapped, draping an arm over his eyes. "Sit down."

Roy sat, scowling. "I'm just trying to make sure everything is okay."

Sarah suppressed a giggle. "Roy, you're too cute. You'll make a girl happy someday."

The redhead blushed and looked down, mumbling to himself.

"Of course he will. Any girl would love to have a man take such great care of her as Roy does," Peach said with a laugh.

Zelda smiled. "Too bad he doesn't _have _a girl. Unless he's keeping her secret from us…" she said with a sly grin at Roy.

"Stop it! Talk about something else. Is this the thanks I get for being so nice to you?" Roy cried, making everyone laugh.

Sarah shifted slightly, her sling uncomfortable. "Master Hand told me something interesting this morning." The others turned their attention to her curiously.

"Is something wrong?" Marth asked, sounding concerned.

Sarah shook her head. "No, nothing to be worried about." She shifted again. "He's retiring at the end of this season's tournament."

Peach and Zelda both gasped. "He is? Oh, dear, that will be strange, having a tournament without him around," Peach said.

"Has he chosen someone to run the tournament after him?" Link asked.

Sarah blushed lightly. "Well, yes. He's asked me to do it."

Zelda smiled and clapped her hands. "That's wonderful! Congratulations!"

"But don't tell anyone yet. He doesn't want it formally known until the end of the season," Sarah said, lowering her voice.

Roy grinned mischievously. "Oh, wouldn't dream of telling. Nope, not a soul…"

Sarah scowled. "Roy…"

"He's kidding," Marth said, glaring at Roy. "Trust me, he's kidding."

Roy sighed. "Fine, fine."

Peach turned to Sarah. "Wow, you'll need a Personal Assistant! Who are you going to pick?"

"I don't know. I haven't really thought about it," Sarah said. "I'll have to hire someone, I guess."

Marth put a hand on her shoulder lightly. "I'll help you, My Lady."

Sarah smiled at him.

Link sat up. "'My Lady?' Whatever happened to the plain old Milady?"

"I…er…" Marth blushed.

Peach sighed, sounding exasperated. "Oh, Link, are you really that dense? He's referring to her as his."

Sarah spluttered. "I… what… Peach!"

Peach winked at her. "I told you that you were falling in love with him, remember? I was right, wasn't I?"

Sarah just blushed.

Roy looked confused. "Wait… did I miss something? When did this happen?"

Everyone laughed. "Oh, Roy…" Zelda said.

"What?"

Sarah sat back in her chair carefully and sighed. For the first time since Zelda's accident two months ago, she truly felt that everything would turn out fine.

**

* * *

KT – DA: Oh, did you already start the chapter?**

**Karanos: it's finished. You missed it.**

**KT – DA: Oh. That's okay. There's the sequel to work on, anyway.**

**Marth: Sequel, My Lady?**

**Roy: Oh, boy, now he's using two words, too.**

**KT – DA: Yes. There will be a sequel! All rejoice!**

**Link: yay. Does it star me?**

**Karanos: no.**

**KT – DA: The next one will be… well… a surprise! You'll just have to read it to find out! It will be a romance, though, and I promise it will be better than this one was.**

**Marth: So, is this it? Is Getting Over Our Troubles over?**

**KT – DA: Yes, it is. We're packing up and leaving. Got to move on to the next story!**

**Roy: Thanks for sticking with us this whole time, for being patient, and most of all, for reviewing!**

**Link: Speaking of which… see that little button down there? Push it. Now.**

**KT – DA: See you all later!**


End file.
